"Is this what you call acting arbitrarily? You haven't even seen me really act arbitrarily. This is the lobby—there are security cameras everywhere. Whether I'm acting out of line or not, just check the footage."
Jiang Hai looked at Qi Zhengtao with open disdain. Was this guy out of his mind? If Qi Zhengtao hadn't jumped out now, Jiang Hai wouldn't have had the chance to interrogate these people about who was pulling the strings behind them, nor would he have acted directly. Anyone with half a brain would've understood the situation.
He could've just kept quiet after getting beaten, but no—he had to stand up and make a scene.
Wasn't this basically begging for death?
Jiang Hai used to think that brain-dead rich second-generation idiots only existed in novels and TV dramas, because in real life, people that stupid probably wouldn't survive long. But reality, he realized now, was far more dramatic than fiction. The world truly wasn't short of fools, and the Qi Zhengtao in front of him was clearly a mentally unstable, emotionally stunted teenager.
"What surveillance? If it's your fault, it's your fault! What nonsense are you talking about? Arrest him!"
Sure enough, after hearing Jiang Hai's words, Qi Zhengtao panicked instantly—exactly like some over-the-top villain in a melodramatic TV series. But instead of running, he just stood there and shouted louder.
He acted like he was the law of the Qi family—the embodiment of its authority. His arrogance made the people around him inch farther away. By now, almost everyone in the company knew the Qi family had split into two factions.
The first—and unquestionably the strongest—was led by Qi Li.
The second was the Qi Song faction.
Qi Zhengtao and his father Qi Yuanlong, who should have been Qi Li's allies, had instead become the loudest voices for the Qi Song faction.
Most people had no desire to become someone's lackey. In high-level power struggles, ordinary employees were like ants watching gods fight. Those who stood too close might appear loyal, but if they backed the wrong god, their families could be ruined.
So when Qi Zhengtao shouted for them to arrest Jiang Hai, everyone simply stood there. Some even took another step back.
Not a single person moved.
"You—you useless bastards! None of you need to come tomorrow! You're all fired! And you, Jiang Hai—this isn't over!"
Seeing the crowd ignore him, Qi Zhengtao jumped and screamed in frustration.
Honestly, Jiang Hai even felt a little bad for Qi Yuanlong. The man may have lacked business talent, but at least he had been a normal human being. How did he end up raising a son like Qi Zhengtao—a clearly unhinged brat? Did this kid really think the Qi family was his personal kingdom? Even the janitors could see he had no actual authority.
Fire them?
He didn't have that power.
He didn't even have the qualifications.
"Who said it's over?"
Jiang Hai smiled faintly as he stepped over the fallen security guards and approached Qi Zhengtao.
Back in the office earlier, Qi Zhengtao thought Jiang Hai looked taller—but now, seeing him stand at full height, he realized he hadn't been imagining things. Jiang Hai was indeed taller, nearly a full head above him.
Qi Zhengtao himself stood around 1.8 meters. Jiang Hai was clearly close to two meters.
In truth, Jiang Hai was about 1.96 meters tall. And because he hated dress shoes and rarely wore suits—preferring sportswear and outdoor gear—people usually overlooked how tall he actually was. Today was no exception. Dressed casually in a sweatshirt, hoodie, loose athletic pants, and a lightweight hiking backpack, he didn't look like someone wealthy. Even his most valuable item, a Patek Philippe watch, was hidden beneath his sleeve.
His running shoes were the soft, cushioned kind people jokingly called "height-increasing shoes," adding another three or four centimeters.
Standing in front of Qi Zhengtao now, Jiang Hai seemed to loom like a wall.
"What are you doing? What do you want? You dare hit me!"
Seeing Jiang Hai's size—and the miserable state of the guards—Qi Zhengtao flinched, but he still forced himself to stand firm. He had never learned how to back down. His parents had spoiled him since birth. They had even reversed the old saying "raise sons tough and daughters gently." In the Qi household, it was the opposite—thanks to old-fashioned patriarchal thinking.
As the only boy in the Qi family, Qi Zhengtao had been treated like a treasure by his grandparents. It wasn't exaggerating to say he grew up getting anything he wanted. The old saying went: "The youngest son and eldest grandson are the old couple's lifeblood." When both roles belonged to the same child, the favoritism was a force of nature.
From childhood, he was never disciplined. Even when he hit Qi Li, his grandparents scolded her instead: "Why did you provoke him?"
By the time he entered school, Qi Li's father had already achieved significant business success. With money and status behind him, Qi Zhengtao became even more arrogant. From elementary school onward, he was a bully. Teachers couldn't control him, and in society, no one dared to offend him with his father as a shield.
His biggest failure was in the Qi family business, where he could only hold a minor position despite his lineage.
Yet his father constantly told him:
The Qi family business is passed down only to sons.
No matter how capable Qi Li was, she was still a woman. Meanwhile, he—the eldest son—was the rightful heir, the future head of the Qi family.
No wonder he was so arrogant.
To him, Jiang Hai was just a beggar. As "the future family head," he should be able to hit or scold Jiang Hai however he pleased. Was Jiang Hai even allowed to talk back?
But this wasn't ancient times.
And Jiang Hai wasn't someone who would just take abuse.
He met Qi Zhengtao's glare, chuckled softly—and then slapped him.
A sharp smack echoed through the lobby.
Qi Zhengtao flew sideways and crashed onto the floor, his face instantly swelling. Anger and disbelief twisted his features as he stared at Jiang Hai.
"Fuck your grandma—I'm going to kill you!"
He roared and lunged forward with a punch.
Jiang Hai caught his fist in one hand, lifted him easily by the collar, and hoisted him into the air. The watching employees gasped.
"What are you doing? Let go of him!"
Two people rushed down the stairs. The man in front shouted loudly.
The crowd stirred. They recognized him immediately—Qi Yuanlong, elder of the Qi family and Qi Zhengtao's father.
Unlike his son, Qi Yuanlong still held real influence in the company and on the board.
"Jiang Hai, let go of him!"
Qi Yuanlong's roar was filled with fury. Jiang Hai clicked his tongue in disdain and loosened his grip. At the same moment, he spun and delivered a flying kick straight to Qi Yuanlong's chest.
The man flew nearly five meters before crashing onto the floor, skidding and then collapsing with a scream—sharp and trembling, like a pig being slaughtered.
"You—you actually dared! You bastard! Someone—arrest him!"
Seeing Jiang Hai attack his son right in front of him—something he himself had never done—Qi Yuanlong lost control. He pointed at the employees and roared.
When Qi Zhengtao shouted, they ignored him.
But Qi Yuanlong was different.
He could actually fire them.
Yet when faced with Jiang Hai's terrifying strength, they hesitated, frozen between fear and duty.
Just as the stalemate tightened—
"Let me see who dares."
A cold female voice cut sharply across the lobby.
Everyone turned.
Qi Li strode out of the elevator with Du Ning beside her, her presence sweeping across the room like a gust of icy wind. The employees who saw her instinctively stepped back.
Her authority within the Qi Group far surpassed Qi Yuanlong's.
To be continued…