All the members of the Black Tiger Society present immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle and shouted in unison, "Lord Hu!"
Then.
A middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit, a slicked-back hairstyle, and a cigar clamped in his mouth walked into the main hall of the venue!
With his sturdy build, he exuded the absolute aura of a top mob boss!
The venue fell instantly silent. Everyone's gaze landed on him, not daring to draw a full breath!
They were all utterly intimidated by his imposing presence!
Next, a henchman trotted in from outside and reported respectfully to Zhang Xiaohu, "Lord Hu, all three thousand brothers of the Black Tiger Society have arrived. They have already surrounded the Genting Hotel layer by layer, and not even a single fly will be allowed out!"
Zhang Xiaohu gave a slight nod.
Then he asked Feng Lei, "What on earth is going on tonight?"
Earlier, he had only heard that Zhang Chunlei had taken a loss at the bidding chamber of commerce and had called in some reinforcements from him. He had never expected that the boy would instead be captured by the other party and held hostage with his life!
As for the cause and effect and all the various details of the matter, he actually knew nothing about them.
Feng Lei’s eyes rolled, and he hurriedly explained, "Lord Hu, the origin of this is that the Xiao Family used underhanded methods to snatch the winning bid that rightfully belonged to Young Master Zhang. Young Master Zhang went to reason with them, but he was beaten by Xiao Qingcheng's husband, who also insulted you, Lord Hu, in all sorts of language!
Young Master Zhang couldn't swallow his anger and brought people back to demand an explanation, only to be captured by her husband and held hostage with his life. Your subordinate didn't dare to act arbitrarily and could only turn to you for rescue!"
This speech took the heavy and minimized the light, shifting all the blame entirely onto Xiao Qingcheng and Ye Tiance.
Clearly, his intention was to leave them dead in tonight's ordeal!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qingcheng's expression changed.
At this moment, she couldn't care about so much anymore, and she stepped forward, enduring her fear.
Putting on a bold face, she explained, "Lord Hu, I am Xiao Qingcheng. Things are not the way he described. This winning bid result was set by that high-ranking figure in the first place.
It was Young Master Zhang who came over and threw the first punch, and he demanded that our Xiao Family surrender ten billion in orders, and even... he wanted me to sleep with him.
As for my husband, he also had no choice but to act. Perhaps his blows were a bit too heavy, but I beg Lord Hu to spare his life for the sake of his ignorance!"
Zhang Xiaohu's icy gaze fell upon Xiao Qingcheng. His powerful aura pressed down on her until she felt almost suffocated!
He sneered, "Do I need you to teach me how to do things?"
Xiao Qingcheng's delicate body trembled, a terrible premonition washing over her.
Zhang Xiaohu raised his voice, "In Jiangnan City, no matter who you are, and no matter the reason, anyone who dares to raise a hand and harm my nephew must die!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding henchmen were stirred into a frenzy!
"That's right, this is our Lord Hu—unreasonably domineering!"
"If you dare to cross the Black Tiger Society, you should have anticipated this end. Little girl, you'd better worry about yourself!"
"Kill, kill, kill!"
"..."
The henchmen of the Black Tiger Society acted as if pumped full of adrenaline, scaring Xiao Qingcheng into a cold sweat.
Subconsciously, she turned her head to look at Ye Tiance.
She wanted to remind him to hurry up and stand up to apologize!
But it was already too late.
Because Zhang Xiaohu had already taken strides toward his side, his killing intent as vast as a surging flood!
As he walked, he said coldly, "You brat, seeing me come over, you're actually still sitting in that chair and refusing to let go of my nephew. Could it be..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Ye Tiance, sitting in the chair, slowly raised his head.
The exact moment their eyes met.
Boom!
Zhang Xiaohu was so startled he jumped, and the cigar in his mouth dropped straight to the floor!
He couldn't help rubbing his eyes, his expression undergoing a drastic transformation.
C-Could it actually be... him?
In that instant, his memory was suddenly yanked back to the days spent in the "City of Fallen" years ago.
He had once fancied himself a formidable local warlord, yet in that place, he had been reduced to the very bottom tier, bullied by everyone he met.
Any random criminal there was a terrifying monster far more ferocious than himself!
Yet no matter how terrifying those criminals were, in front of their young master Ye Tiance, they were merely obedient little lambs, kneeling to greet him and kneeling to see him off!
Later on, because Zhang Xiaohu's latrine-cleaning work was done quite well, he earned Ye Tiance's satisfaction, and his sentence was commuted by two and a half years.
After being released from that place and returning to Jiangnan City, he single-handedly founded the Black Tiger Society!
Never mind that he was now an underground emperor-like figure.
That profound memory from back then still remained like a nightmare, impossible to erase!
At this very moment, seeing Ye Tiance once again, the fear carved deep into his very bones made the calves of his legs tremble.
Subconsciously, he moved to drop to his knees and offer a greeting.
"You..."
He barely spat out a single syllable before Ye Tiance shot him a warning glare, scaring him into instantly snapping his mouth shut!
He reacted immediately: the City of Fallen and Ye Tiance's identity as the young master were classified at the highest level!
No one was permitted to expose it!
Yet since Ye Tiance didn't speak, he didn't dare move rashly, nor did he know what to say.
For a moment, he froze stiff on the spot, breaking out in a nervous sweat as he awaited Ye Tiance's orders!
On the contrary, the brothers of the Black Tiger Society did not understand the reason behind this.
They all assumed that Zhang Xiaohu's silence was actually a way of applying pressure to Ye Tiance!
They began to whisper among themselves:
"Did you see that? That fellow surnamed Ye has already been scared out of his wits by Lord Hu's aura. He doesn't even dare let out a fart!"
"As expected of Lord Hu, maintaining such calm and composure even now. Truly worthy of study by the likes of us!"
"..."
Seeing that Ye Tiance still refused to stand up and apologize.
Xiao Qingcheng grew so anxious she covered the distance in two steps, grabbed his arm, and urged him, "What are you still standing there dazed for? Hurry and let Young Master Zhang go, then stand up and explain yourself to Lord Hu with an apology!"
Seeing that Ye Tiance remained unmoved.
Her tone even took on a crying note as she said, "Have you truly lost your mind?"
Ye Tiance smiled faintly, "Don't be nervous! I believe this Lord Hu is a reasonable man!"
As he spoke.
He kicked Zhang Chunlei away.
Zhang Chunlei slid across the floor for several meters until he came to a stop right at Zhang Xiaohu's feet.
"Hah... huff... Young Master here is finally alive again! Hahaha!"
Zhang Chunlei panted heavily, triumph and cruelty surfacing across his face.
He raised his head to plead with Zhang Xiaohu, "Uncle! Hurry up and give the order to deal with this son of a bitch! Break all four of his limbs, and make him watch with his own eyes while I and all the brothers thoroughly ravage his woman!"
The brothers of the Black Tiger Society were all eager for action, waiting only for Zhang Xiaohu's single command to strike immediately!
Xiao Qingcheng, meanwhile, closed her eyes in despair.
Yet right at this moment.
An unexpected scene unfolded!
Bang!!
Zhang Xiaohu suddenly raised his foot and slammed it fiercely into Zhang Chunlei's face!
Chapter 28: The Reversal
With this single kick.
He directly sent Zhang Chunlei skidding more than two meters across the floor. Blood streamed uncontrollably from his nostrils and the corners of his mouth, and even two of his teeth were knocked out!
This sudden turn of events made everyone present widen their eyes in shock.
They simply couldn't process what on earth was happening!
Clutching his cheek, Zhang Chunlei looked completely bewildered as he stammered, "Uncle, you hit the wrong person! The bastard you're supposed to hit is the one surnamed Ye?"
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohu's expression darkened even further!
"I'm hitting you precisely!"
He strode forward and began raining wild kicks down upon Zhang Chunlei.
While kicking him, he cursed angrily, "I helped you set up a company so you could manage it properly, not so you could go around stirring up trouble everywhere!"
At this very moment, Zhang Xiaohu was in a state of extreme rage.
This blind, mentally deficient nephew of his had actually gone and offended the young master—and even wanted to sleep his wife?
If you want to die, don't drag me into it, you motherfucker!
Bang! Bang!
After a continuous series of kicks, the bridge of Zhang Chunlei's nose collapsed, and he screamed in agonizing succession!
Yet Zhang Xiaohu did not stop, continuing to curse, "I warned you long ago to keep a low profile in life, but you fucking borrowed my name to throw your weight around and bully the people! My lifelong reputation has been completely ruined by you!"
Watching this scene unfold, Feng Lei and the rest of the Black Tiger Society's henchmen were dumbfounded.
Xiao Qingcheng was likewise struck speechless.
What on earth was going on here?
Weren't they told Lord Hu had come to avenge Zhang Chunlei? Why on earth was he the one starting the beating?
The point was, he was hitting him with such lethal force!
Howled at continuously by Lord Hu's kicks, Zhang Chunlei stretched out his neck and pleaded for mercy, "Uncle, I... I was wrong! Ah! Stop hitting me, I was wrong!"
Zhang Xiaohu delivered one more merciless stomp, "Eat shit!"
This kick directly knocked Zhang Chunlei unconscious. His face was covered in blood, his features barely recognizable!
Without even sparing him a glance, Zhang Xiaohu walked straight up to Xiao Qingcheng.
He put on a genial smile and said, "Ah, President Xiao, I am truly sorry. It's all my fault for failing to discipline him properly and letting this bastard cause trouble for you. Here, I apologize to you and your husband on his behalf!"
As he spoke, he cast a covert glance at Ye Tiance, and upon discovering that the latter did not display an angry expression,
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yet everyone who heard these words was already frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded!
They couldn't understand when the usually arrogant and domineering Lord Hu had become so reasonable.
Xiao Qingcheng stood stunned for several seconds.
Only then did she nod in a daze, "N-No... it's quite all right. You are too polite, Lord Hu!"
Zhang Xiaohu said earnestly, "No matter what, our Black Tiger Society was in the wrong first. To express my apology, I will definitely prepare a heavy gift to send to the Xiao Family, and I hope President Xiao will graciously accept it!
I have urgent matters to attend to on my end, so I will take my leave first!"
Before Xiao Qingcheng could reply, Zhang Xiaohu immediately turned and left, terrified that Ye Tiance might call out to him.
As for that gang of Black Tiger Society brothers, they could only withdraw amidst all sorts of curiosity while hauling away the unconscious Zhang Chunlei...
At that exact moment, sitting in the distance and taking in this entire scene was Rong Meiyan.
Her eyes were filled with surprise and curiosity.
Because she had clearly seen that Zhang Xiaohu's dramatic shift in attitude began the very instant he laid eyes on Ye Tiance.
She deduced that Zhang Xiaohu likely knew Ye Tiance—and held deep dread toward him!
"This man is truly impossible to see through!"
Rong Meiyan murmured softly.
At that moment, a tall maid walked over to her side and whispered, "Miss, the Second Uncle's side called. He has matters to instruct you on."
Rong Meiyan asked, "What is it?"
The maid replied, "He said to have you represent the Rong Family and attend the birthday banquet of Ji Family head Ji Wuli the day after tomorrow. He mentioned that many of Jiangnan City's elite talents will be offering birthday greetings there, making it convenient for you to select business partners from among them, and he also advised you to take good care of the Jiangnan Ji Family."
Rong Meiyan sneered, "This Second Uncle of mine really can't wait, can he? Heh, 'take care of the Ji Family'? To my eyes, it's about propping up a sphere of influence for himself."
The maid offered no further comment.
Rong Meiyan stood up and said, "Since Second Uncle has spoken, we'll just play along with his plan. As for business partners..."
She glanced at Ye Tiance in the distance and commanded, "Investigate that man named Ye Tiance and compile a dossier for me. The more detailed, the better!"
"Understood!"
Once Rong Meiyan and her maid left through the back door,
Only Ye Tiance and Xiao Qingcheng remained in the chamber's banquet hall!
At this moment, Xiao Qingcheng still felt a dreamlike sense of unreality.
She had already prepared herself for the worst-case scenario, yet never expected that not only would Lord Hu not be angry, but he would actually apologize to her and offer gifts in amends.
This simply didn't make logical sense; there had to be something wrong here!
She turned around and looked at Ye Tiance.
Seeing him still sitting calmly in his chair, as if he had anticipated this outcome all along.
This caused Xiao Qingcheng to form a daring thought.
Could all of this...
"Daughter, are you all right!"
Suddenly, Zhang Huilan's anxious cry rang out from the doorway.
Zhang Huilan and Xiao Nan hurried inside in a panic, followed closely by Assistant Sun.
"I'm fine!"
Xiao Qingcheng shook her head in reply, questioning, "Mom, why did you two come over?"
Zhang Huilan answered, "Didn't Assistant Sun call us? When I heard you were being dragged down by that good-for-nothing Ye Tiance, I rushed right over. Thank goodness you're okay!"
With that, she shot a vicious glare at Ye Tiance and cursed, "Ungrateful wolf, all you do is bring trouble to our Qingcheng!"
Ye Tiance turned his head away, truly unwilling to bother with this old hag!
Xiao Nan glanced vigilantly around their surroundings and asked worriedly, "Sis, didn't they say Lord Hu brought three thousand brothers? Where are they?"
"They left..."
Xiao Qingcheng briefly recounted what had just happened here.
Hearing this terrified Zhang Huilan and the others out of their wits!
Xiao Qingcheng remained perplexed, saying, "I still feel this whole thing is very strange. Why did Lord Hu suddenly back down?"
Zhang Huilan said in sudden realization, "It must have been Young Master Ji who helped. Just now, I called him to ask for help, and he agreed!"
Subconsciously, Xiao Qingcheng shook her head.
Earlier, Ji Boduan had been scared nearly to death in front of Zhang Chunlei; how could he possibly have made an even more formidable Lord Hu change his mind?
Yet, right at that moment.
A voice rang out from the doorway, "Aunty Zhang is right. This matter was indeed handled by me!"
Then, Ji Boduan sauntered in swaggering fashion.
Actually, he hadn't left at all; he had been hiding near the Genting Hotel watching secretly, and upon seeing Lord Hu and his men depart, he had returned.
Xiao Qingcheng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really you?"
Ji Boduan affirmed, "That's right. As soon as I received Aunty Zhang's call, I called my father and begged him to step in and contact Lord Hu, asking Lord Hu to spare you all."
Hearing these words, Ye Tiance couldn't help laughing out loud.
He truly couldn't understand what Ji Boduan's face was made of—why did he always love claiming credit for things?
Zhang Huilan scolded with dissatisfaction, "What are you laughing at, you useless piece of trash?"
Ye Tiance teased playfully, "Are you certain Zhang Xiaohu let us off purely for the sake of his old man?"
Chapter 29: President Xiao, you deserved what happened to you tonight!
Zhang Huilan said with displeasure, "If not his old man, could Lord Hu possibly have done it for your sake?"
Ye Tiance nodded, "Of course!"
Zhang Huilan froze, and Xiao Qingcheng and the others froze as well!
"Pfft!"
Ji Boduan simply burst out laughing and said, "Hahaha, you surnamed Ye, you really are a riot! What kind of status does Lord Hu hold? Would he care about the face of a good-for-nothing like you?"
Ye Tiance retorted, "Then your meaning is that Zhang Xiaohu cared about the face of your father?"
This counter-question caused Xiao Qingcheng and the others to all look toward Ji Boduan.
From their perspective, given Ye Tiance's identity, there was zero chance he could command Lord Hu's face.
Yet by the same token, the Jiangnan Ji Family didn't possess that kind of clout either!
Ji Boduan naturally understood what they were thinking.
So he shoved his hands into his pockets and assumed a triumphant posture, "Just as you said, the Jiangnan Ji Family wouldn't make Lord Hu hand over face so easily; however, if the Provincial Capital Rong Family steps forward, even Lord Hu has no choice but to lower his head!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Qingcheng and the others were simultaneously startled.
The Provincial Capital Rong Family?
One had to know that was one of the Four Great Families of the Provincial Capital, a heavily weighted presence across all of Tiannan Province, whose influence far surpassed the three major families of Jiangnan City!
Even big shots like Lord Long and Lord Hu had to tuck their tails in front of the Rong Family.
Xiao Qingcheng asked, "What does this matter have to do with the Provincial Capital Rong Family?"
Full of bravado, Ji Boduan explained, "You all don't know this, but due to certain connections, my father has deep ties with the upper echelons of the Rong Family. Recently, the Rong Family happens to want to develop new business in Jiangnan City, and our Jiangnan Ji Family will naturally receive the Rong Family's patronage.
When my father brought up this connection, do you think Lord Hu could afford to refuse the Rong Family face?"
As for this piece of news, it was actually what Ji Wuli had told him when he called his father for help earlier.
Originally, Ji Boduan had prepared himself to be reprimanded, considering that the messy affair at tonight's bidding chamber of commerce had caused the Ji Family to be blacklisted by Tianlong Group—a matter of grave importance!
To his surprise, his father merely offered a brief reprimand without blowing up.
The reason was the good news that the Provincial Capital Rong Family was moving into Jiangnan City.
After all, the benefits brought by the Ji Family latching onto this thick thigh far outweighed cooperating with Tianlong Group!
While his father was in high spirits, Ji Boduan had seized the opportunity to mention interceding with Lord Hu. Ji Wuli had casually muttered that he understood and hung up the phone.
Not long after, Ji Boduan saw Lord Hu leading his men away.
Therefore, he naturally assumed that his father was the one who had made it happen...
After listening to Ji Boduan's words, Xiao Qingcheng and the others were both shocked and enlightened!
Put this way, everything could finally be explained!
Zhang Huilan praised, "Tsk tsk! As expected of Young Master Ji, always able to turn the tide precisely when our Xiao Family is in crisis. Aunty didn't misjudge you!"
Xiao Nan turned to glare at Ye Tiance,
Scornfully saying, "Look at him, then go take a piss and look at yourself. You even had the gall to say Lord Hu gave you face. Bah!"
Assistant Sun curled her lip, "I figure he's just jealous of Young Master Ji's excellence. Lacking ability himself, he can't bear to see others excel!"
Ye Tiance asked Ji Boduan, "You claim your dad made the call and solved it. Do you have proof?"
Ji Boduan sneered, "Want proof, do you? Young Master here will prove it to you right now!"
With that, he dialed Ji Wuli's number.
As soon as it connected, Ji Wuli's impatient voice blasted from the other end, "Why are you calling again?"
Ji Boduan said, "Dad, it was you who called Lord Hu just now and brought up the Provincial Capital Rong Family to make Lord Hu back down, right?"
Ji Wuli said with displeasure, "I'm busy with matters for the birthday banquet; where would I have that kind of idle time? We'll talk after I'm done!"
Beep, beep, beep!
He hung up directly.
Ji Boduan stood there looking blank, the corners of his eyes twitching fiercely.
His father hadn't contacted Lord Hu yet?!
Then who on earth had done it?
Ye Tiance smiled and asked, "Young Master Ji, what did your dad say on the phone? Care to share it with everyone?"
With Ye Tiance's acute hearing, he had naturally heard the contents of the call crystal clear.
To his surprise, Ji Boduan gave a dry cough and fabricated a lie on the spot, "My dad said he did it. So what?"
Ye Tiance frowned.
Was there truly no upper limit to Ji Boduan's shamelessness?
Xiao Qingcheng and the others hadn't heard the contents of the call, so they naturally believed what Ji Boduan said!
Zhang Huilan cursed, "You dog, shut your mouth and stop slandering Young Master Ji!"
Ye Tiance stated, "He's lying. The truth is..."
Xiao Qingcheng abruptly cut him off, "That's enough of you!"
Ye Tiance looked at her in confusion.
With a stern expression, Xiao Qingcheng said, "You caused such a massive disaster tonight, escalating things until Lord Hu stepped in personally. If Young Master Ji hadn't defused the crisis, your life would already be forfeit!