"Well, I really didn't expect that anyone in Jiang City would still dare to speak to me, Zhou Wanhao, like that."
"I'd actually love to know: are you simply naive, or do you just not take me, Zhou Wanhao, seriously at all?"
Zhou Wanhao looked at Su Lin with a look of keen interest.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Zhou Wanhao? Why on earth should I take you seriously?"
Su Lin raised an eyebrow and shot right back.
As soon as those words left his mouth—
The entire lobby felt as if someone had hit the mute button!
Every sound vanished instantly, leaving behind only the heavy, drum-like pounding of heartbeats!
Everyone stared at Su Lin with pity in their eyes.
After all, with the way he had just talked to Zhou Wanhao, probably not a single soul in all of Jiang City could save him now!
Even Xia Bingyu gasped, her red lips parting in shock as she gazed at Su Lin in disbelief.
Did this man really not know the meaning of fear at all?
Yet, while everyone else held their breath in absolute terror, Zhou Wanhao showed no signs of anger.
He pulled out a cigarette and slowly lit it.
Taking a deep drag, he finally exhaled a plume of smoke and spoke: "Kid, you've got a lot of nerve, but arrogance requires capital in this world."
"Without capital, it's not arrogance—it's just pure stupidity!"
"And if a person is too stupid, their own words and actions will get them smashed to pieces!"
Su Lin frowned, irritated, and snapped back, "Old man, you've gone on and on—what is your point, exactly?"
Zhou Wanhao exhaled another cloud of smoke, his face utterly devoid of expression: "Kid, I'm giving you one last chance to make a choice. Tell me, how do you want to die?"
"You of all people couldn't possibly kill me!"
Su Lin shook his head lightly.
"Is that so?"
Zhou Wanhao sneered.
He violently stubbed out his cigarette butt on the floor, grinding it under his heel!
And with that single movement—
The men who had been standing behind him stepped forward in unison, every single one of them radiating a dense, murderous aura.
They looked just like a pack of bloodthirsty beasts!
Xia Bingyu watched Su Lin, eager to see how he would react to such a situation.
Noticing her gaze, Su Lin grinned, "Wife, do you want to bet? Without me even lifting a finger, these guys and Zhou Wanhao are all going to drop to their knees and kowtow to me."
"Incorrigible!"
Xia Bingyu let out a heavy huff.
Her disgust for Su Lin reached its absolute peak.
Though this man had helped her out a few times these past few days, this brazen, defiant attitude of his was truly infuriating!
Seeing that Xia Bingyu still didn't believe him, Su Lin couldn't be bothered to waste any more breath.
He pulled a shimmering golden card straight out from his chest pocket and hurled it directly into Zhou Wanhao's face: "Zhou Wanhao, open your dog eyes and take a good look at what this is!"
Zhou Wanhao never expected Su Lin to actually strike him across the face, and his expression turned terrifyingly dark.
But the moment he caught the card and saw the golden dragon engraved upon it, his eyes went wide with shock!
He began to tremble all over, completely unable to control himself from the sheer overwhelming intensity of it!
"Zhou Wanhao, you should know what this is. You don't need me to teach you what to do next, do you?"
Su Lin's lips curled into a playful smirk as he offered a reminder.
Only then did Zhou Wanhao snap violently back to his senses.
Without a moment's hesitation—
*Thud!*
He dropped straight to his knees right in front of Su Lin!
His forehead pressed tightly against the floor.
His entire posture was lowered to the absolute limit of humility!
"This..."
Watching this scene unfold, Zhou Ang's mind ground to a complete halt.
Everyone else reacted much the same way, staring blankly at the spectacle, utterly clueless as to what was happening.
"Dad, what on earth are you doing?"
"Weren't you going to avenge me? Why did you just kneel down?"
After a long moment, Zhou Ang slowly recovered his wits and couldn't help asking.
Hearing his voice, Zhou Wanhao finally raised his head and roared angrily at his subordinates: "What the hell are you all standing around for, frozen in place? I'm ordering the lot of you—get down on your knees for this young master right now!"
"If anyone dares not to kneel, you are an enemy of Zhou Wanhao, and I swear to god I'll wipe out your entire family!"
Seeing Zhou Wanhao acting like a madman, the people around him exchanged bewildered glances.
And then—
In neat, orderly fashion, they all dropped to their knees before Su Lin.
Zhou Ang was stunned all over again, even wondering if his own father had completely lost his mind!
"Zhou Ang, are you deaf or something? Did you not hear what I just said?"
"I'll give you three seconds! If you don't kneel right now, I'm cutting you off as my son and killing you with my own hands!"
Zhou Wanhao's vicious glare locked onto Zhou Ang!
*Thud!*
Not daring to waste another word, Zhou Ang dropped straight to his knees.
He had never seen his father act with such utter madness.
If he didn't kneel right now, he was genuinely going to lose his life!
"Zhou Wanhao, you were acting pretty arrogant just a moment ago, weren't you?"
Su Lin walked right up to Zhou Wanhao and reached out to pat him on the face.
Normally so overbearing and tyrannical, Zhou Wanhao not only dared not show the slightest bit of anger at this rude gesture, but instead flashed a thoroughly ingratiating smile:
"Young Master, it's all just a misunderstanding! I had no idea who you were, which was why I acted so impudently. I beg you to give me a chance!"
Su Lin chuckled, "Want a chance, do you? Fine, I'll give you one!"
"Today your son teamed up with the presidents of three major banks to set a trap and go after my wife. Now that you're here, I'll leave this matter entirely in your hands to deal with."
"If you can satisfy me, I'll let today slide and call it even. But if you can't, then it's about time someone else took a turn sitting in the seat of the Jiang City Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce president!"
Zhou Wanhao jolted awake.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he whipped his head around to look at Xia Bingyu standing nearby: "Miss, I am truly, deeply sorry. It's my fault for failing to raise my son properly, which led to all of this. I apologize to you!"
With that, Zhou Wanhao began to kowtow frantically!
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Zhou Wanhao's head slammed brutally against the concrete floor, and blood quickly began to seep out.
Yet he acted as if he couldn't feel the pain at all, his relentless kowtowing continuing without a pause.
Not until the floor was stained red with blood did Xia Bingyu finally snap out of her daze, though it still felt completely surreal.
Zhou Wanhao!
The president of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, no less—was actually kowtowing to her.
And the only reason he was doing it was because of a single word from the country bumpkin she had brought down from the mountain.
Could this nominal husband of hers really be this terrifying?
Chapter 28: A Hundredfold Repay!
"Miss, I'm begging you, please forgive me."
Seeing that Xia Bingyu remained silent, Zhou Wanhao felt his heart tighten to the breaking point, and he could only resume banging his head against the ground in desperate pleas for mercy.
When Xia Bingyu saw Zhou Wanhao's wretched state, she pushed all other thoughts aside and hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhou, you don't need to do this. This matter has nothing to do with you—I won't hold it against you!"
Finally breathing a sigh of relief, Zhou Wanhao stopped kowtowing, slowly hauled himself to his feet, and forced a smile.
Yet paired with his blood-soaked face, it looked nothing short of ferocious.
"My sincerest thanks to you, Miss, for your magnanimity. I will definitely give you a satisfactory resolution for this!"
After offering that respectful pledge, Zhou Wanhao turned his gaze to Hong Chang and Lin Feng: "Men! Take these two brainless pieces of trash and throw them out the window!"
*Whoosh!*
The color drained entirely from Hong Chang and Lin Feng's faces!
They threw themselves to the ground, crying and pleading: "President Zhou! Everything we did was incited by Sheng Lei, please, I'm begging you..."
Before they could finish, both men were hoisted up by Zhou Wanhao's subordinates and dragged straight toward the windows.
*Aah! Aah!*
Accompanied by two piercing screams, the pair vanished completely into the air!
Having finished this, Zhou Wanhao took a deep breath, his eyes falling squarely on Zhou Ang.
"Dad! I'm your own son! You can't kill me!"
"I promise, from now on I'll stay strictly at home and never cause you any trouble again!"
"Please, just forgive me this once!"
Shaking with terror, Zhou Ang had been crying tears and snot alike ever since Zhou Wanhao looked his way, pleading frantically for his life.
A pang of hesitation tugged at Zhou Wanhao's heart.
Yet thinking of the identity represented by that card in Su Lin's possession—
He could only close his eyes, grit his teeth, and declare, "You unfilial wretch, daring to set your sights on the Young Master's woman! Men, abolish his manhood!"
"No... no!"
Never expecting Zhou Wanhao to be so utterly ruthless toward him, Zhou Ang turned and tried to bolt.
But at a single look from Zhou Wanhao, two guards instantly lunged forward and pinned him down.
*Crack!*
Following a crisp sound of shattered hopes, Zhou Ang let out a shriek like a slaughtered pig before passing out cold.
"Young Master, are you satisfied with this handling of the matter?"
Taking a deep breath, Zhou Wanhao cast a nervous, apprehensive look at Su Lin.
"Wife, what do you think?"
Su Lin turned the question over to Xia Bingyu.
"It's more than enough. Let's just leave it at this."
Xia Bingyu still looked somewhat distracted.
"Since my wife has spoken, I'll let you off the hook this time. I expect you to behave yourself from now on."
"Come on, wife, let's go!"
Su Lin grabbed Xia Bingyu's hand, ready to leave.
"Young Master, when might you have some free time? I'd like to treat you to a meal and discuss a few matters."
Zhou Wanhao asked with the utmost humility.
"We'll see. If I have time, I'll come looking for you."
"Oh, and keep my identity under wraps for now—don't go leaking it to anyone else!"
With that casual instruction, Su Lin walked straight out.
Not until Su Lin's figure vanished from sight did Zhou Wanhao let out a long breath, wiping the blood from his forehead.
"President, what on earth is that kid's background? Could he be some young master from Longdu?"
Finally unable to hold it in any longer, Zhou Wanhao's personal bodyguard asked the question.
"A young master from Longdu?"
"You're thinking way too simply. With his status, even the top young masters of Longdu wouldn't dare provoke him lightly!"
Zhou Wanhao muttered with a complex, awestruck expression.
After all, the item that young man had just hurled into his face was none other than the ultimate symbol of authority for the supreme head of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce: the Golden Dragon Card!
Possessing that card meant commanding the entire Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, along with unfathomable, towering wealth!
Yet the Golden Dragon Card had vanished alongside the old president for a very long time, and now it had suddenly resurfaced in the hands of this young man.
Zhou Wanhao guessed that this youth was most likely the successor hand-picked by the former president!
If that was true, the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce was undoubtedly about to face an unprecedented storm!
Meanwhile, Su Lin and Xia Bingyu were already back in the car.
"Su Lin, what on earth just happened back there?"
"Why was Zhou Wanhao, the president of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, so terrified of you?"
Xia Bingyu finally voiced the question that had been burning inside her.
"Wife, didn't I tell you? I actually have a total of eight masters."
"My sixth master happens to be the head of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce, and before I left the mountain, he handed the entire chamber over to me."
"So everything in the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce belongs to me—of course he has to be afraid of me."
Su Lin offered a casual explanation.
Xia Bingyu still found it somewhat hard to swallow.
Yet short of that, no other explanation seemed to make any sense.
After a brief pause, Xia Bingyu took a deep breath: "I'm sorry, Su Lin. I misunderstood you earlier and said those terrible things..."
Su Lin brushed it off with a wave of his hand: "Wife, between the two of us, there's no need for such formalities. Come here, give me a kiss!"
Without waiting for her consent, Su Lin leaned over and happily planted a kiss on her cheek.
Xia Bingyu shot him a sideways glance, though she had already grown completely accustomed to his sudden ambushes.
Starting the engine, the two of them drove back to the Xia Family estate.
Meanwhile, over at the Zhang Family residence.
Zhang Zhizhong and his son, Zhang Shiquan, were sitting in the main hall waiting for news from the Black Tiger Sect.
"Dad, it's been this long and the Black Tiger Sect still hasn't dragged Xia Bingyu over here. Do you think they failed?"
Zhang Shiquan glanced at the time, looking somewhat impatient.
Zhang Zhizhong, however, remained completely calm and collected: "Don't worry. The Black Tiger Sect is already considered a formidable underground force in Jiang City; dealing with a single Xia Family should be more than enough."
Nodding, Zhang Shiquan said nothing more.
But right at that moment!
*Bang!*
The main gates of the Zhang residence were kicked wide open from the outside.
Before father and son could even react, a large group of people swarmed into the courtyard.
At the head of them was none other than Lin Heihu!
"Brother Heihu, you're finally here! Sorry to trouble you with this matter—I'll definitely reward you handsomely!"
After a momentary pause of surprise, Zhang Zhizhong broke into a smile and hurried forward to welcome them.
*Slap!*
Instead of a greeting, Lin Heihu delivered a brutal backhand slap across Zhang Zhizhong's face, knocking him straight to the floor.
"Lads, smash the place! Cripple both of these bastards!"
Lin Heihu commanded coldly.
"Lin Heihu, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Zhang Zhizhong cried out in shock and rage!
"Zhang Zhizhong, don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame the fact that you two father and son offended someone you shouldn't have. I'm just caught in the middle and forced into this."
Lin Heihu said without a shred of emotion.
"Lin Heihu, if you dare lay a hand on us, you're making an enemy of the Zhang Family! The Zhang Family won't let you get away with this!"
Zhang Zhizhong shrieked with a ferocious expression.
"Do it!"
Careless of the threat, Lin Heihu spat out the two words coldly.
Immediately, the group of subordinates behind him surged forward, making quick work of the Zhang Family's guards.
*Crack! Crack!*
Before long, the sounds of snapping bones and the agonizing screams of Zhang Zhizhong and Zhang Shiquan echoed through the hall!
Having finished the job, Lin Heihu led his men away.
Back in the empty hall, nothing remained except for Zhang Shiquan's wails of agony and Zhang Zhizhong's furious roar: "Lin Heihu! You just wait! I'm going to make you pay for what you did today a hundredfold!"
Chapter 29: Paying Respects to the Supreme President!
It was already late in the night by the time Su Lin and Xia Bingyu arrived back home.
Lin Feixuan hadn't gone to sleep yet; she was sitting in the living room waiting up for them.
Seeing the two return, she hurriedly sprang to her feet and jogged over: "Sister Bingyu, how did it go?"
"Don't worry, it's all resolved."
Xia Bingyu offered a faint smile.
"That's great!"
Lin Feixuan patted her chest in relief, then asked with curiosity, "Sister Bingyu, how did you manage to sort it all out?"
"You'll have to ask him about that."
Xia Bingyu's pretty eyes shifted toward Su Lin.
Following her gaze, Lin Feixuan looked over in astonishment: "Sister Bingyu, are you saying *he* was the one who helped you fix it?"
Xia Bingyu nodded.
That only heightened Lin Feixuan's shock: "Su Lin, what on earth are your backgrounds? It's one thing for your martial arts to be so insane, but you even solved a problem with the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce?"
Lifting his chin, Su Lin replied arrogantly, "Who I am isn't important. You just need to know that I'm the man you can never have."
"Tch, like anyone's pining for you!"
Lin Feixuan rolled her eyes at him in exasperation.
"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone should head to bed and get some rest!"
Seeing the two of them about to start bickering again, Xia Bingyu quickly cut them off.
With that, all three of them retreated to their respective rooms.
Once back in her bedroom, Lin Feixuan pulled out her phone and deleted the number she had been about to dial.
Unless it was an absolute last resort, she was determined not to contact her family!
The next morning!
Su Lin and the girls sat down for breakfast as usual.
Once they finished, Xia Bingyu prepared to head off to work.
Suddenly remembering something, she pulled a phone out of her bag and set it on the table in front of Su Lin: "Take this phone. My number and Feixuan's are already saved in it. It'll be easier to reach each other if anything comes up."
"Thanks, wife!"
Without standing on ceremony, Su Lin pocketed the phone right away.
Without another word, Xia Bingyu turned and left for the office.
"Hey, Su Lin, if you don't have anything going on today, do you want to come with me to the university again?"
Finishing her meal, Lin Feixuan tentatively broached the subject.
"Not a chance!"
Figuring that Lin Feixuan probably still wanted to rope him into joining the Martial Arts Club, Su Lin flatly refused.
"Fine, suit yourself!"
Without pressing further, Lin Feixuan stood up and walked out of the villa.
However, the moment she stepped outside the front gates, her phone rang—an unfamiliar number glowing on the screen.
"Who is this?!"
Lin Feixuan answered impatiently.
"It's me."
Su Lin's voice came through the line.
Her eyes lit up: "What? Did you change your mind and decide to come to school with me after all?"
"You're overthinking it. This is just my first time using this kind of phone, so I'm testing out whether it works properly. Bye!"
With that, Su Lin hung up right in her ear!
"This guy!"
Lin Feixuan stamped her foot in anger.
She didn't even need to guess to know that Su Lin had definitely just been pulling her leg!
Inside the villa, Su Lin finished his breakfast at a leisurely pace and prepared to head out to the Golden Dragon Hotel.
Even though all eight of his masters had handed over their respective forces to him, Su Lin had zero personal interest in managing them.
Still, there were a few things he needed to spell out for Zhou Wanhao in person.
Just as Su Lin stepped out the front door, a young woman blocked his path.
"Oh, it's you. Xiao Qianmei must have sent you to keep tabs on me, right?"
Seeing the woman, Su Lin wasn't surprised in the least.
If he remembered correctly, her name was Feixuan, and the two of them had a brief clash when he visited Fengyue Pavilion last time.
"Young Master, someone at Fengyue Pavilion is looking for you."
Ignoring Su Lin's remark, Feixuan went straight to the point.
"Who's looking for me? Is it Xiao Qianmei?"
Su Lin immediately grew wary.
If Xiao Qianmei really was the one looking for him, he definitely wasn't going!
After all, that senior sister of his was way too dangerous these days; if he wasn't careful, she might just end up "devouring" him!
Feixuan shook her head. "Not the Big Sister. It's Lin Heihu from the Black Tiger Sect."
Lin Heihu?
Su Lin frowned in confusion, wondering what business Lin Heihu could possibly have with him.
Still, he didn't have anything pressing on his schedule, so he decided to go check it out anyway.
Some forty minutes later.
Accompanied by Feixuan, Su Lin arrived at the entrance of Fengyue Pavilion.
At that moment, Lin Heihu was standing there waiting, looking visibly anxious and on edge.
"Black Dog Lin, what do you want with me?"
Su Lin strode right up to him.
Seeing that Su Lin had arrived alongside Feixuan, Lin Heihu felt a sudden jolt in his chest!
Ever since his son had offended Su Lin at Fengyue Pavilion last time, he had suspected that Su Lin had ties to the establishment.
Coming here today to find Su Lin was partly out of necessity, but also partly to test that very theory.
Now, seeing this, it was clear Su Lin definitely had a connection to Fengyue Pavilion!
A surge of blazing anticipation flared up in Lin Heihu's eyes.
Though the Black Tiger Sect was considered a decent force in Jiang City, they operated entirely underground and could never show their faces in polite society.
If he could manage to latch onto Su Lin's coattails, the Black Tiger Sect might just rise to a whole new level, and he himself could become a truly major player!