After all, there was likely no one in all of Jiang City who could save him, especially since he dared to speak to Zhou Wanhao like that!
Even Xia Bingyu gasped, her red lips parting in shock as she stared at Su Lin in disbelief.
Could this man really have no concept of fear at all?
While everyone else stood trembling in silence, Zhou Wanhao showed no signs of anger. He slowly pulled out a cigarette and lit it, took a deep drag, and then exhaled a cloud of smoke before speaking.
"Kid, you're arrogant. But in this world, arrogance requires capital."
"Without capital, that’s not arrogance—it’s stupidity!"
"And a fool who acts like that will only end up shattered by his own words and actions!"
Su Lin frowned, sounding impatient. "Old man, you’ve said so much. What exactly are you trying to say?"
Zhou Wanhao exhaled another cloud of smoke, his face devoid of any expression. "Kid, I’ll give you one last chance to choose. Tell me, how do you want to die?"
"You? You couldn't kill me if you tried." Su Lin shook his head lightly.
"Is that so?" Zhou Wanhao sneered.
He flicked the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it with his heel.
At his signal, the men who had been standing behind him all stepped forward in unison, their bodies radiating a dense, murderous aura—like a pack of bloodthirsty beasts.
Xia Bingyu watched Su Lin, curious to see how he would react to such a situation.
Su Lin noticed her gaze and flashed a playful grin. "Wife, believe it or not, I don't even have to lift a finger—these people and Zhou Wanhao will all be kneeling before me."
"Incorrigible!" Xia Bingyu huffed, her resentment toward him reaching a breaking point.
Though he had helped her these past few days, this "know-nothing, fear-nothing" attitude of his was truly infuriating.
Seeing that she still didn't believe him, Su Lin couldn't be bothered to waste more breath. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a card that shimmered with golden light, and slapped it directly onto Zhou Wanhao’s face.
"Zhou Wanhao, open your dog eyes and look at what this is!"
Zhou Wanhao, never expecting Su Lin to dare slap him, wore a terrifying, gloomy expression. But when he caught the card and saw the golden dragon engraved upon it, his eyes widened in absolute shock.
He began to tremble uncontrollably, overcome by sheer terror.
"Zhou Wanhao, you should know what this is. I don't need to teach you what to do next, do I?" Su Lin asked, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Zhou Wanhao finally snapped out of his daze. Without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to his knees in front of Su Lin with a thud, his forehead pressed tightly against the floor. His attitude was utterly submissive.
"This..." Zhou Ang stood by, his mind completely stalled.
The others were in the same state, staring blankly at the scene, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"Dad, what are you doing? Weren't you going to avenge me? Why are you kneeling?" After a long pause, Zhou Ang finally found his voice.
Hearing him, Zhou Wanhao lifted his head and roared at his men: "What are you all standing there for? I order you all to kneel before this young master!"
"Anyone who doesn't kneel is an enemy of Zhou Wanhao, and I’ll kill their whole family!"
Watching Zhou Wanhao’s frenzied state, the men looked at each other in confusion before all dropping to their knees in front of Su Lin in perfect formation.
Zhou Ang was shocked once more, even wondering if his father had lost his mind.
"Zhou Ang, are you deaf? I’ll give you three seconds. If you don't kneel, I’ll disown you as my son, and I’ll kill you with my own hands!" Zhou Wanhao fixed a vicious glare on him.
Thud!
Terrified, Zhou Ang didn't dare say another word and immediately hit his knees. He had never seen his father look so crazed; if he didn't kneel, he feared he really would lose his life.
"Zhou Wanhao, you were acting pretty arrogant just now, weren't you?" Su Lin walked over and patted Zhou Wanhao on the face.
The usually overbearing and tyrannical Zhou Wanhao, far from being angered by this disrespectful act, wore a fawning smile.
"Young Master, it was all a misunderstanding. I didn't know your identity, which is why I acted so rudely. Please, give me a chance!"
Su Lin chuckled. "You want a chance? Fine, I'll give you one."
"Your son colluded with the heads of three banks to set a trap for my wife today. Since you're here, you handle it."
"If you can satisfy me, I’ll let today's incident slide. But if you can't, then it’s time for a new head of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce in Jiang City!"
Zhou Wanhao shuddered. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he turned to Xia Bingyu. "Miss, I am deeply sorry. It was my failure to teach my son properly that led to this. I apologize to you!"
With that, he began to bang his head against the floor frantically.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
He slammed his forehead into the ground so hard that blood began to seep out, but he acted as if he felt no pain, continuing relentlessly.
Only when the floor was stained red did Xia Bingyu finally snap back to reality, though it still felt surreal.
Zhou Wanhao—the dignified head of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce—was kowtowing to her. And the only reason for it was a single sentence from the "country bumpkin" she had brought down from the mountains.
Could this cheap husband of hers really be this terrifying?
***
"Miss, I beg you to forgive me." Seeing that Xia Bingyu remained silent, Zhou Wanhao’s heart tightened to the breaking point, and he could only continue to kowtow and beg.
Seeing his miserable state, Xia Bingyu put aside her other thoughts and said quickly, "Mr. Zhou, you don't need to do this. This matter has nothing to do with you, I won't blame you!"
Zhou Wanhao finally felt relieved, stopped kowtowing, and slowly stood up. He managed a smile, but with his face covered in blood, it looked truly gruesome.
"Thank you, Miss, for your great mercy. I will definitely give you an explanation for this!"
Zhou Wanhao said respectfully, then turned to Hong Chang and Lin Feng. "Someone, take these two clueless fools and throw them out the window!"
*Swish!*
The faces of Hong Chang and Lin Feng turned white as a sheet! They knelt on the ground, begging, "Chairman Zhou, everything we did was incited by Sheng Lei, please..."
Before they could finish, Zhou Wanhao’s men grabbed them and dragged them toward the window.
*Ah! Ah!*
With two screams, they were gone.
After this, Zhou Wanhao took a deep breath and turned his gaze toward Zhou Ang.
"Dad! I’m your son! You can't kill me!"
"I promise I’ll stay at home and never cause trouble again! Please, forgive me this once!"
Zhou Ang was already trembling violently, and seeing his father look at him, he burst into tears and snot, begging for mercy.
Zhou Wanhao felt a moment of hesitation, but remembering the identity represented by Su Lin’s card, he closed his eyes and hardened his heart.
"You rebellious son, to dare plot against the Young Master's woman! Someone, castrate him!"
"No... don't!"
Zhou Ang never expected his father to be so ruthless and tried to run, but with a single look from Zhou Wanhao, two men immediately pinned him down.
*Crack!*
A sharp cry of agony followed, and Zhou Ang fainted from the pain.
"Young Master, are you satisfied with this handling?" Zhou Wanhao asked, looking at Su Lin with trepidation.
"Wife, what do you think?" Su Lin asked Xia Bingyu.
"That's enough. Let's leave it at that." Xia Bingyu looked somewhat absent-minded.
"Since my wife has spoken, I’ll let you off this time. I hope you'll behave yourself in the future."
"Wife, let’s go!" Su Lin took Xia Bingyu's hand, ready to leave.
"Young Master, when you have time, may I treat you to a meal and discuss a few things?" Zhou Wanhao asked, sounding incredibly humble.
"We'll see. If I have time, I'll come find you."
"By the way, don't reveal my identity to anyone for now!" Su Lin ordered coldly before walking away.
Only after Su Lin’s figure disappeared did Zhou Wanhao exhale a long sigh and wipe the blood from his forehead.
"Chairman, what exactly is this kid's identity? Could he be a young master from Longdu?" his personal bodyguard finally asked.
"A young master from Longdu?"
"You think too little of him. His identity is something even a young master from Longdu wouldn't dare offend!" Zhou Wanhao lamented with a complex expression.
After all, what the young man had thrown in his face was the Golden Dragon Card, the symbol of the Supreme Chairman of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce!
Holding this card meant controlling the entire Chamber, as well as unimaginable wealth!
But the card had vanished along with the old chairman for a long time. For it to appear now in the hands of a young man, Zhou Wanhao guessed that this youth was likely the successor chosen by the old chairman himself!
If that were true, the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce was likely about to face an unprecedented storm.
Meanwhile, Su Lin and Xia Bingyu had returned to their car.
"Su Lin, what was that all about?"
"Zhou Wanhao is the head of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce. Why was he so afraid of you?" Xia Bingyu asked the question weighing on her mind.
"Wife, I told you, I have eight masters."
"My sixth master was the head of the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce. Before he left, he handed the Chamber over to me."
"So, everything in the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce belongs to me. Of course he's afraid of me." Su Lin explained casually.
Xia Bingyu still found it hard to believe, but there didn't seem to be any other explanation.
After a pause, she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Su Lin. I misunderstood you before and said those things to you..."
Su Lin brushed it off carelessly. "Wife, we're in a relationship—no need for that. Come here, give me a kiss!"
He didn't wait for her consent and happily stole a kiss on her cheek. Xia Bingyu rolled her eyes at him, having already grown accustomed to his sudden attacks. She started the car, and they returned to the Xia family estate.
Meanwhile, at the Zhang residence, Zhang Zizhong and his son Zhang Shiquan were sitting in the living room, waiting for news from the Black Tiger Gate.
"Dad, it's been so long. The Black Tiger Gate hasn't brought Xia Bingyu over yet. Could they have failed?" Zhang Shiquan checked the time, feeling impatient.
Zhang Zizhong looked unperturbed. "Relax. The Black Tiger Gate is a powerful underground force in Jiang City. Dealing with a single Xia family should be more than enough."
Zhang Shiquan nodded, saying no more. But just then!
*Bang!*
The front door of the Zhang residence was kicked open. Before the father and son could react, a large group of men stormed in, led by Lin Heihu himself!
"Brother Heihu, you're finally here. Sorry to trouble you with this, I’ll be sure to reward you handsomely!" Zhang Zizhong smiled and stepped forward to greet them.
*Slap!*
Lin Heihu slapped Zhang Zizhong across the face, knocking him to the ground.
"Boys, do it! Break them both!" Lin Heihu ordered coldly.
"Lin Heihu, what are you doing?" Zhang Zizhong was both shocked and furious.
"Zhang Zizhong, don't blame me. Blame the fact that you and your son offended someone you shouldn't have. I’m just being forced into this," Lin Heihu said emotionlessly.
"Lin Heihu, if you move against us, you're going to war with the Zhang family! The Zhang family won't let you off!" Zhang Zizhong roared, his face twisted in rage.
"Do it!" Lin Heihu didn't care at all and spat out the two words.
Immediately, his men rushed forward, easily overpowering the Zhang family’s guards.
*Crack! Crack!*
Soon, the sound of bones breaking filled the hall, accompanied by the desperate screams of Zhang Zizhong and Zhang Shiquan!
After completing his work, Lin Heihu led his men away. In the hall, only the moans of the two men remained, along with Zhang Zizhong’s furious growl: "Lin Heihu! Just wait! I will make you pay for what you did today a hundred times over!"
***
It was late at night by the time Su Lin and Xia Bingyu returned home. Lin Feixuan wasn't resting; she was sitting on the sofa waiting for them. Seeing them return, she ran over. "Sister Bingyu, how did it go?"
"Don't worry, it's all resolved," Xia Bingyu smiled faintly.
"That's great!" Lin Feixuan patted her chest, curious. "Sister Bingyu, how did you solve it?"
"You'd better ask him," Xia Bingyu said, turning her beautiful eyes toward Su Lin.
Lin Feixuan looked over in surprise. "Sister Bingyu, you mean he helped you solve it?"
Xia Bingyu nodded.
Lin Feixuan was even more shocked. "Su Lin, what exactly are you? It’s one thing to be good at martial arts, but you can even handle the Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce?"
Su Lin raised his head proudly. "Who I am isn't important. You only need to know that I’m the man you’ll never get."
"Pah! As if anyone wants you!" Lin Feixuan rolled her eyes.
"Alright, it's late. Everyone go get some rest!" Xia Bingyu interrupted them before they could start bickering again. The three returned to their rooms.
Back in her room, Lin Feixuan took out her phone and deleted the number she had been preparing to dial. Unless it was an absolute last resort, she would never contact her family.
***
The next day, Su Lin and the others were eating breakfast as usual. After they finished, Xia Bingyu prepared to leave for work. Suddenly remembering something, she pulled a phone from her bag and placed it on the table in front of Su Lin. "Take this phone. It has my number and Feixuan’s saved in it. It’ll be easier to stay in touch."
"Thanks, wife!" Su Lin didn't stand on ceremony and took it.
Xia Bingyu said nothing more and left for work.
"So, Su Lin, if you're free today, do you want to come with me to the university?" Lin Feixuan asked tentatively after finishing breakfast.
"No!" Su Lin refused directly, knowing she likely still wanted him to join the Martial Arts Club.
"Forget it then!" Lin Feixuan didn't press him and left the villa.
However, just as she walked out the gate, her phone rang—it was an unknown number.
"Who is it?" she asked impatiently.
"It's me." Su Lin’s voice came through.
Lin Feixuan’s eyes lit up. "What? Did you change your mind? Are you coming to school with me?"
"You think too much. I’ve just never used this kind of phone before, so I was testing if it works. Bye!"
Su Lin hung up the phone immediately!
"This guy!" Lin Feixuan stomped her feet in anger. She didn't have to think twice to know that Su Lin was definitely just teasing her.
Inside the villa, Su Lin finished his breakfast leisurely and prepared to head to the Golden Dragon Hotel. Although his eight masters had handed their respective powers over to him, he wasn't interested in them. Still, there were a few things he needed to tell Zhou Wanhao.
But as Su Lin stepped out the front door, a woman blocked his path.
"It's you. Xiao Qianmei must have sent you to follow me, right?" Su Lin wasn't surprised. If he remembered correctly, this woman was Feishuang, and they had a minor conflict when he went to Fengyue Pavilion last time.
"Young Master, someone at Fengyue Pavilion is looking for you." Feishuang didn't answer his question, getting straight to the point.
"Who's looking for me? Xiao Qianmei?" Su Lin became guarded. If it were really her, he definitely wouldn't go! After all, this senior sister was dangerous; one wrong move and he might be "devoured" by her!
Feishuang shook her head. "Not the Big Sister. It’s Lin Heihu from the Black Tiger Gate."
Lin Heihu? Su Lin was confused, wondering what Lin Heihu could possibly want. But since he didn't have anything to do, he decided to go and see.
About forty minutes later, Su Lin arrived at the entrance of Fengyue Pavilion with Feishuang. Lin Heihu was standing there waiting, looking visibly anxious.
"Lin 'Black Dog', what do you want with me?" Su Lin walked over.
Seeing Su Lin arrive with Feishuang, Lin Heihu was shaken. Last time his son offended Su Lin at Fengyue Pavilion, he had suspected Su Lin was connected to the place. Coming here today was both to find him and to verify his guess.
Now, he was certain: Su Lin was definitely involved with Fengyue Pavilion!
A surge of excitement burned in Lin Heihu’s eyes. While the Black Tiger Gate was a powerful force in Jiang City, they were ultimately an underground organization that couldn't make it to the big stage. If he could latch onto Su Lin, the Black Tiger Gate might reach new heights, and he could become a truly important figure!
Thinking this, Lin Heihu hurriedly stepped forward, looking excited. "Young Master Su, you're here!"
"Lin 'Black Dog', what do you want with me?" Su Lin asked bluntly.
"Young Master, it's nothing major. I just wanted to report that I’ve completely crippled Zhang Shiquan and his father. I don't think they’ll ever come looking for trouble with you again!" Lin Heihu smiled ingratiatingly.
"You called me over just to tell me that?" Su Lin asked irritably.
"Of course not!"
"Last time my son offended you, Mr. Su, I felt terribly guilty..."