As the former vice-chairman of the Qin Corporation, Zhao Li certainly knew who Chen Yang was. More than that, he knew Chen Yang was an absolute good-for-nothing. The man supposedly did nothing but hide in the kitchen, fussing over three meals a day, and was completely incapable of anything else, living off the Qin Family as a freeloader.
How could a loser like that be here?
Chen Yang lit a cigarette and asked with an intrigued expression, "The file is empty?"
"So it was you!" Zhao Li slammed the file on the table, his brows furrowed tightly.
Chen Yang neither confirmed nor denied it. He casually pulled over a chair and settled into the most comfortable position possible. "My wife was willing to let bygones be bygones and not look into your past. But instead of being grateful, you repay her kindness with treachery by coming to the Qin residence to steal?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Zhao Li said, refusing to admit anything.
Chen Yang wasn't in a hurry. He slowly spread open the file in his hand. "You held a position at the Qin Corporation for five years. During that time, you used your position to embezzle over 2.8 million from the company. That charge alone is enough to send you to prison, isn't it?"
Zhao Li's eyelids twitched. It took seven or eight deep breaths for the shock to wear off and for his frantic thoughts to finally begin to settle. How could he possibly know this in such detail?!
"And now you come back to steal. Five years... If you raise a dog for five years, it learns some loyalty, doesn't it? It wouldn't do something so shameless," Chen Yang said indifferently, tossing the file aside.
"You..." Zhao Li's expression twisted, but he quickly broke into a sneering laugh. "So what? You're a good-for-nothing. What are you going to do to me?"
"Let's put that aside for a moment." Chen Yang waved a dismissive hand, grabbed a nearby fruit platter, and began eating nonchalantly. "Aren't you curious how you ended up with an empty file?"
Zhao Li was speechless.
Does this good-for-nothing really think he owns the place?
Liu Zongnan, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke up. "From the sound of it, you know the whereabouts of that file?"
"Of course," Chen Yang admitted freely.
"I'll give you one chance. Hand it over," Liu Zongnan said with a laugh. He found Chen Yang's naivety amusing. Did he really think two people could just barge into my office? Does he take me for a pushover? Or does he think my bodyguards are just for show?
Zhao Li laughed along. "You hear that, loser? Hand it over, or you'll regret it."
"Let's return to the previous topic," Chen Yang said calmly, popping a strawberry into his mouth. "Since you've admitted to your crimes, my way of handling things is to first give you a thorough beating, then hand you over to the Patrol and Arrest Office."
"Haha..." Zhao Li burst out laughing. "Are you dreaming, kid, or are you just blind? Can't you see the situation you're in?"
There were only two of them, while he had seven or eight bodyguards. With those odds, wasn't the outcome perfectly clear? A freeloader wants to play hero? He'll be beaten into a coward!
"Why are you wasting your breath on him?" Liu Zongnan's demeanor was dismissive. His sheer presence alone showed he was on a completely different level than Zhao Li, just as one would expect from the chairman of a major corporation.
He waved to the bodyguards behind him. "Take them down!"
"Yes, sir!" the seven or eight bodyguards roared in unison, their voices thundering with imposing momentum.
"A fight? My favorite," Yang Hu said, stepping forward. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, his jacket slid to the floor, revealing a physique of chiseled, well-defined muscle. He rolled his neck, producing a series of loud cracks.
The bodyguards immediately felt a surge of fear.
Is this guy a monster?
However, something even more frightening was yet to come.
Yang Hu drew a pitch-black pistol from the small of his back. "On second thought," he said grimly, "a gun is better. At least it saves time. Wouldn't you agree?"
The bodyguards were rendered speechless.
Liu Zongnan, who had been about to berate his men for their cowardice, froze on the spot.
Yang Hu flashed a vicious smile. "All of you, on your knees! In a single line!"
Where was the cool professionalism of these well-trained bodyguards now? They scrambled to kneel on the floor, one after another.
Yang Hu swaggered over to Liu Zongnan and chuckled. "Who was it you were planning to 'take down'?"
"I... I..." Liu Zongnan instinctively raised his hands, stumbling backward as his mouth hung open, unable to form a complete sentence.
Yang Hu pressed the muzzle of the gun to Liu Zongnan's forehead. "Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now? What's the matter?" He sneered. "Asking my Big Bro to hand over the file? Huh? You're pretty bold for a measly little chairman!"
Liu Zongnan stood frozen, utterly silent.
"I told you to speak!" Yang Hu snarled.
With a loud thud, Liu Zongnan collapsed to his knees, his face as pale as a sheet. "S-Sorry! I'm sorry! I was wrong! Please, spare my life!"
Zhao Li, who had been confident with Liu Zongnan's backing, felt his pupils contract as his whole body went rigid. What kind of people are these?!
He subconsciously glanced at Chen Yang, who was still casually eating fruit. Isn't he supposed to be a useless freeloader? What in the world is going on?
Pain shot through Liu Zongnan's head, nearly making him pass out, but he didn't dare make a sound. Clutching his bleeding scalp, he knelt properly and pointed a trembling finger at Zhao Li. "It was all him! He's the one who came to me and said the Qin Family had something valuable. He wanted to steal it and give it to me!" He pleaded, "I'm a victim, too!"
BANG!
Yang Hu brought the gun down on his head again. "You're a victim? Then what does that make my sister-in-law?"
Liu Zongnan choked, unable to answer.
"PTOOEY!" Yang Hu spat on the floor in disgust, then turned his glare on Zhao Li. "You. Get over here."
"I..." Zhao Li was already scared witless. He had assumed the floundering Qin Family was his to bully. How could he have known they had such a powerful figure backing them? This wasn't just running into a brick wall; this was running into a razor's edge. His life was no longer in his own hands.
His spirit shattered, Zhao Li felt as if his legs were filled with lead.
Yang Hu grinned ferociously. "What? Didn't you hear me?"
"I... I heard you," Zhao Li nodded frantically. He forced his stiff limbs to move and slowly walked over.
"Couldn't you just have been a decent human being?" Yang Hu snarled, planting his foot on Zhao Li's chest.
Chen Yang set down the fruit platter, wiped his hands with a couple of napkins, and finally stood up. "You will personally return every cent of the property you embezzled. Then, you will turn yourself in. Can you do that?"
"Yes! Yes, I can!" Zhao Li nodded desperately.
"I found you once, and I can find you again. Don't even think about running."
With that said, Chen Yang turned and left.