Standing tall and straight, with a look of reverence and solemnity on their faces, they cleared a wide path right down the middle, as if they were waiting for someone of immense importance!
Li Yue and his son hurried over.
And obediently took their places on either side.
"I heard we're welcoming some big shot today. If we can make a good impression, we might catch his eye and secure a bright future."
"Right, let's make sure we put our best foot forward."
People around them muttered in whispers.
Li Yue and Li Hongyan wore expressions of utter disdain. A bunch of idiots—did they really think a golden opportunity to rise up in the world would ever fall to them?
Their boss had specifically called them to come and meet the VIP in person!
They must be out of their minds.
Soon, a jeep pulled up in front of them. A tall, spirited woman stepped out from the driver's seat and opened the rear door.
A stern-looking man stepped out, his posture upright like a spear, his eyes sharp as cold stars, and his features sharply defined.
"Is that the big shot?"
Everyone stared in astonishment.
Catching sight of the newcomer, Li Hongyan immediately stepped forward, pointed directly at Xiao Zining and Xiao Yi, and roared, "Is this any place for the likes of you? Get the hell out of here right now!"
"Our chairman is meeting a very important person today. If you dare to cause any trouble and offend him, I'll finish you on the spot!"
"Dad, this is the scum who hit me today—Xiao Zining."
Li Yue caught on immediately. "Oh, so you're the guy? Is a stray dog like you allowed in a place like this? Get lost right now—"
"I'll settle our accounts later."
The big shot was about to arrive, and he didn't dare make a scene. If the VIP saw this, the consequences would be severe.
Xiao Zining glanced at them sideways and said indifferently, "I'm the person your chairman is here to welcome."
The crowd fell dead silent...
Li Hongyan and his son burst into wild laughter!
"You?"
"Just you?!"
"Why don't you take a piss and look at your reflection in it!"
"If you're that big shot, the two of us will drink every drop of water out of the toilet bowls!"
They sneered derisively.
What a braggart!
How could this guy still dare to talk big right here?
"The chairman is here!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
In an instant, everyone turned their eyes in unison.
Jiang Haosheng strode over with a vigorous, excited expression, leading a group of senior executives toward them. The moment he caught sight of Xiao Zining, his eyes reddened with emotion!
"Young—"
He started to speak, but suddenly remembered that Xiao Zining's identity was a top-secret of Shenzhou!
How could he possibly expose it in front of outsiders?
"Chairman! You're here!" Li Yue and his son eagerly rushed forward like a pair of lapdogs. "Chairman, don't be angry; I'll chase this bastard away immediately!"
"He definitely won't ruin your reception for the VIP! This guy is just a stray dog, daring to come and cause trouble right outside Longyue Group..."
Li Yue cast a cold glare at Xiao Zining.
To everyone's surprise...
*Crack!*
Jiang Haosheng delivered a sharp slap straight across his face, leaving him completely dazed.
"Who the fuck are you trying to chase away?!"
"I, I... Chairman, I..." Faced with Jiang Haosheng's fury, Li Yue stammered in panic, completely at a loss.
"Slap!"
"How dare you chase away my distinguished guest? Li Yue, you've got some colossal nerve!"
Seething with rage, Jiang Haosheng sent him flying with a single kick.
The crowd watched in stunned silence.
Li Yue and his son were completely frozen...
The next moment, Jiang Haosheng rushed over to Xiao Zining in two strides, trembling, and dropped to his knees on the spot with a heavy thud...
At that very moment, the hearts of the hundreds of people present shuddered violently!
Seeing this, the legs of Li Yue and Li Hongyan turned instantly weak...
Chapter 17: Coming to Apologize!
Jiang Haosheng was kneeling?
The mighty tycoon who ranked among the top five in Fengcheng had just knelt before this young man?!
Just what kind of background did this young man have?
"Impossible? Impossible..." Li Hongyan stared blankly, his eyes vacant. "Chairman, he's just that rapist from the Bai family. How could he possibly be your—"
"insolent fool!" Jiang Haosheng stood up and kicked him squarely in the chest!
Li Hongyan cried out as he collapsed backward, nearly passing out, clutching his chest tightly.
Yet because the one who struck him was Jiang Haosheng, he dared not show the slightest bit of resentment.
"Sir, it is my failure to discipline my subordinates properly. They lack manners—please punish me!"
Keeping his head lowered, Jiang Haosheng frantically wiped away cold sweat, terrified that Xiao Zining might genuinely fly into a rage.
Xiao Zining smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Let's go inside and talk."
"Next time, don't put on these flashy displays. I don't like them."
"Yes!" Jiang Haosheng nodded repeatedly.
Xiao Yi followed them inside with a look of utter bewilderment. Just what was Xiao Zining's true identity?
Even a tycoon like Jiang Haosheng treated him with such deep reverence...
She realized that this brother of hers was becoming more and more mysterious by the day.
"Make those two follow us inside." Xiao Zining's tone was icy as he walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Still not crawling inside?!"
Jiang Haosheng turned and roared, glaring daggers at Li Yue and his son.
Cold sweat had already drenched the two men. It turned out that the distinguished guest Jiang Haosheng had mentioned was none other than Xiao Zining!
How could this be?!
Yet the stark reality lay right before their eyes, leaving them no room for disbelief.
Trembling with fear, they trailed behind.
Their backs were already soaked through.
Inside the office.
Xiao Zining took a seat, lit a cigarette, and exhaled a plume of white smoke.
Jiang Haosheng stood nearby, not even daring to breathe too loudly, well aware of the terrifying status of the man before him.
As for Li Yue and Li Hongyan, they sat on pins and needles. Even as foolish as they were, they could clearly see just how immense Xiao Zining's weight was with Jiang Haosheng!
And they relied on Jiang Haosheng to make a living!
"Sir, what brings you here today?" Jiang Haosheng asked cautiously.
Xiao Zining sneered, "Someone tried to use a million to force my wife to marry him, and even demanded she sleep with him tonight."
"I'm here to settle accounts with him."
Jiang Haosheng trembled all over, so frightened he dropped to his knees on the spot...
"Sir, this matter..."
His voice trembled.
Xiao Zining waved a hand. "This has nothing to do with you."
His gaze shifted to Li Hongyan. The latter's legs went soft as he dropped to both knees, kowtowing frantically until his forehead was bruised and crimson. Trembling, he stammered, "Sir, I'm sorry! I was blind! I didn't recognize a true master! I confess my guilt..."
*Slap, slap, slap!*
He struck himself across the face repeatedly until his cheeks swelled up red and bruised...
"Not only is your mouth foul, your entire being is foul." Xiao Zining looked at him with a half-smile. "If it weren't for the Bai family, you'd already be a corpse right now."
Li Hongyan shuddered violently, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Spare my life, sir! I am willing to redeem myself through service."
"Thud!" Li Yue dropped to his knees as well. "Sir, it's my fault for failing to raise my son properly. I am to blame too. Punish me if you must."
Xiao Zining merely looked at them coldly. "Each of you break an arm yourselves, then crawl over to apologize."
"Also..."
"Pay the Bai family one million for emotional distress. Do you have any objections?"
"None at all! Absolutely none!"
Father and son breathed a sigh of relief. One million to buy a life—it was worth it.
For they knew all too well that someone who could strike such terror into Jiang Haosheng could squash them as easily as an ant!
"Oh, right." Xiao Zining suddenly gave a playful smile. "Didn't you two say earlier that if I really was your chairman's distinguished guest, you'd drink all the toilet water?"
Hearing this, the color drained entirely from their faces.
Jiang Haosheng's expression darkened. "Go! Bring some drinks for Li Yue and the others."
Someone immediately fetched two large bottles filled with toilet water and placed them before the pair.
"We... we really have to drink this?" Li Hongyan and his father looked as if they had just lost their mothers.
Xiao Zining smiled without a word.
Jiang Haosheng barked an order, "You men, go help them chug it down!"
"We'll drink it! We'll drink it ourselves!" Li Yue yelled out in panic.
Suppressing their nausea, the two men picked up the bottles, pinched their noses, and forced the toilet water down their throats before immediately vomiting in revulsion...
Their complexions turned as unsightly as if they had eaten feces.
Seeing this, Ling Xiao finally rose to his full height and strode toward the door with his hands behind his back.
"This young master does not want Xining to know that I am pulling the strings behind this. Handle it yourselves. If you mess it up, bring your heads to me."
"Yes!" Li Hongyan and his son nodded tremblingly.
The Bai family residence.
Night fell.
The entire Bai family sat on pins and needles, their hearts filled with anxiety and dread.
The events of today had left a sword hanging directly over their heads!
The atmosphere was stiflingly heavy.
"Knock, knock, knock!" A sudden round of knocking on the door startled them all.
"Who is it?!"
Lin Yuemei asked with a tremor in her voice.
"It's us, Li Hongyan!"
Their bodies stiffened. Could the Li family's retaliation have arrived so quickly?
What must come would come.
Hiding was no solution.
Biting the bullet, Lin Yuemei opened the door to find, sure enough, the father and son of the Li family!
"Director Li, Young Master Li! I am truly sorry about what happened today! It was our fault..."
Before she could finish her sentence—
The two of them dropped to their knees right before her with a heavy thud!
Lin Yuemei was startled out of her wits, her heart pounding wildly. "This..."
Chapter 18: Lord Long's Motive!
Just who was Li Yue?
He was a manager at Longyue Group!
With an annual salary of over a million, his status and standing were worlds apart from theirs!
Yet here he was, kneeling directly before her. How could she not panic?
Moreover, this same father and son had previously declared in no uncertain terms that they would make the Bais pay...
"Director Li, what are you doing? Get up, please get up!"
Lin Yuemei fluttered about in a panic.
"If Madam Bai won't forgive us, we won't get up," Li Yue stated firmly.
Their foreheads were already bruised and bleeding from kowtowing.
Still utterly bewildered by the sight, Lin Yuemei could only say, "Alright, alright, get up first. Please, come in."
Trembling with fear, Li Hongyan and Li Yue entered the Bai home.
At that moment, they wished they could turn back time and swallow their regret!
Had they known Xiao Zining wielded such terrifying influence, would they have ever dared to provoke the Bai family?
"Miss Bai."
Bowing at a ninety-degree angle, Li Hongyan apologized profusely, "I overstepped earlier, and I take full blame! I was a despicable fool! Please don't stoop to my level!"
*Slap, slap, slap!*
Li Hongyan struck his own face hard several times.
"I accept whatever punishment you see fit to mete out, as long as it clears your anger."
Such a posture left Bai Xining utterly baffled. "Director Li, you exaggerate. We can't possibly accept this!"
Noticing that one of their arms hung limp and bound in bandages, she grew exceptionally curious.
What on earth was going on here?
This father and son had always been arrogant and domineering; why were they suddenly treating her family with such deferential respect?
She simply couldn't make sense of it.
Li Hongyan produced a bank card and said, "Xining, I was ignorant earlier. I apologize to you. Please accept this one million."
"One million?!"
The members of the Bai family were profoundly shocked.
"Our boss said we caused a disturbance for you, and ordered us to pay this as compensation," Li Hongyan said, having prepared an excuse long ago. "If you don't accept it, our boss will fire us."
Xiao Zining had made it clear: if they messed this up, they were to bring their heads to him.
They simply had to get this done!
Lin Yuemei took the bank card while saying aloud, "You two are truly too polite."
One million!
A warm glow spread through her heart.
"If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave. If you ever need anything in the future, just give the word and we'll handle it immediately."
The two men scurried away in disgrace.
"Mom, is this really one million?" Bai Hao swallowed hard.
"Director Li wouldn't dare lie to us," Lin Yuemei said. "It seems their wrongdoings were discovered by their boss, who gave them a harsh lesson."
She felt a deep sense of satisfaction at their comeuppance.
"Mom, we can't keep this money. What if it's a trap set by them..." Bai Xining frowned.
Before she could finish, Lin Yuemei cut her off coldly. "A trap? Do Director Li and the others need to set a trap to scam us?"
"A single word from them could crush us to death—why would they bother kneeling and slapping their own faces? Stop doubting it, just keep the money."
Though Bai Xining vaguely felt something was amiss, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Oh, whatever—" She sighed. "At the end of the day, this money will likely have to be returned to someone else anyway. Lord Long isn't someone to be trifled with."
"If Xiao Zining hadn't been here today, we..."
Lin Yuemei's expression darkened. "Don't mention that jerk to me! If it weren't for him, would we have offended Lord Long? I could skin him alive right now!"
Seeing how agitated Lin Yuemei was, Bai Xining dropped the subject of Xiao Zining.
"Alright, alright, I'll hold onto the money for now. Everyone go get some rest."
"Haohao and Doudou still have school tomorrow; we shouldn't stay up too late."
Lin Yuemei tucked the card into her pocket as if she feared it might suddenly vanish.
——
Meanwhile, at Tianlong Manor, a heavily tattooed, burly, bald-headed middle-aged man sat half-reclined on a sofa with his legs crossed in an imposing posture.
His expression was frighteningly gloomy.
He was none other than Lord Long.
Outside the door, a commotion of chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded, and a group of men stumbled in, dropping heavily to their knees on the floor...
"Lord Long, we failed in our mission! Please punish us, Lord Long!"
Hearing this, Lord Long's face sank further. "Speak!"
"We failed to collect the debt from that woman Bai Xining, nor could we force her to offer herself... A brat ruined the whole thing."
"Useless! A pack of good-for-nothings! A whole gang of you couldn't handle a single punk?"
Lord Long sprang to his feet, grabbed an ashtray, and hurled it straight at them!
"Lord Long, we... we'll definitely collect that million next time!"
One of Lord Long's subordinates stammered in fear.
Lord Long flew into a rage. "Bai Xining is a top beauty in Fengcheng! I want the woman herself, not a mere million, you idiots!!"
He had devised this trap precisely to back the Bai family into an inescapable corner, forcing Bai Xining to surrender herself and become his captive plaything!
At that moment.
A shifty-eyed middle-aged man stepped forward from behind him, bowing with a wretched smile. "Lord Long, if you want to tame that woman, I have a plan..."
Chapter 19: Your Children Are in Our Hands!
"Speak."
Lord Long's eyes lit up slightly at these words.
"Back when Lord Long first set his sights on this woman, I already had people look into her background. Bai Xining has a pair of children who both study at huan-cheng Kindergarten."
"Bai Xining dotes on these two children immensely, treating them as the apples of her eye."
"So, we can strike through them."
Upon hearing this, Lord Long caught on immediately and nodded with a cold smile. "Send men to handle it properly. Tomorrow, I want Bai Xining to serve me of her own free will."
"Get the hell out of my sight, all of you!" Lord Long waved a hand impatiently.
He furrowed his brows deeply; the events at the underground auction house had given him a massive headache.
Not only had he lost a substantial number of men, but even descendants of the Four Major Clans had died inside, drawing the intervention of the garrison...
Just how was that Xiao Zining able to have ties with the War Department?
He couldn't fathom it.
Still, the underground market was always a lawless place; the garrison's mobilization probably had nothing to do with Xiao Zining—it was likely just a blind cat catching a dead mouse!
Returning to the old Xiao family estate.
A tumult of thoughts churned through Xiao Zining's mind. Such a fine family, shattered just like that!
The mere thought that he was now separated from his parents by the chasm of life and death made his chest ache with a suffocating heaviness...
Fortunately, the appearance of the two children offered a shred of comfort to his heart. Thinking of them, a faint smile unconsciously tugged at the corners of his lips.
He would definitely avenge his parents!
From this day forward, he swore to fiercely protect every member of his family!
…………
For the Wang Family, today was likewise a sleepless night.
The death of Wang Heng had ignited a blazing fury within them.
Yet, they were equally puzzled: where on earth did that fellow get the audacity to return?
And why had the garrison raided the underground auction house?
Could it be...
However, given the Wang family's connections, they soon picked up some wind of the situation.
Rumor had it that the closure of the underground auction house had nothing whatsoever to do with Xiao Zining.
It was simply because the auction house had touched things it shouldn't have, prompting the garrison to step in and clear it out.
This realization allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief.
……
The next day.
Phoenix walked in, carrying a thick stack of documents.
"Sir, these are the latest files on the Four Major Clans that you requested."
"And..."
"This is the documentation for Tianyu Group. As of now, it is officially under Lin Hui's name."
Xiao Zining's heart gave a heavy jolt.
Tianyu Group was his parents' life's work; he had to take it back!
"Two days from now, Lin Hui and Li Tianqi, the eldest young master of the Li family, will hold a charity donation gala under the banner of Tianyu Group..."
"Heh, what a perfect pair of scumbags." A faint, cold smile played on Xiao Zining's lips.
Lin Hui—his former fiancée!
Li Tianqi—his former sworn brother, and the primary culprit behind the plot against him back then!
Now, he had returned.
It was high time to settle these old accounts.
"Two days from now, I will be attending that charity gala."
The Wang, Li, Zhou, and Han families—the Four Major Clans—along with Lin Hui: everyone implicated in his parents' deaths would pay the price!
"Understood."
Xiao Feng silently set about arranging his schedule.
In the blink of an eye, it was four o'clock in the afternoon when Xiao Zining's personal phone suddenly rang.
He answered it without delay.
"Xiao Zining! Did you go pick up Haohao and Doudou?"
"Bring them back to me right this instant, or I swear I'll make you pay!"
Bai Xining's furious roar blasted into his ear, making Xiao Zining's heart tighten instantly. "I didn't go pick them up? Did something happen to Haohao and the others?"
"You really didn't pick them up?" Bai Xining's tone shifted dramatically. "Then we're in trouble!"
The color drained entirely from Bai Xining's pretty face.
"I'm on my way."
Hearing that the two children were in danger, Xiao Zining's eyes turned instantly glacial.
Standing outside the kindergarten gates, Bai Xining felt her mind go completely blank...