"Alright, Grandpa. I understand. Leave the rest to me." Lin Chen nodded slightly. "You just focus on resting. Now that I'm back, I'll take care of all the trouble."
Since he now had a direction, the targets were clear. Following these two leads should be enough to uncover the truth. The Northern Tiger Guard. The Lu family of the capital. Both were places he would have to visit.
The humiliation his mother suffered at the Lu family—he, as her son, would make them pay!
…
Meanwhile, news of Lin Chen storming Longxing Hotel and making arrests at the Lin Group spread across Yancheng like wildfire.
The Liu Family
"How could this happen!" Liu Ruyan slammed her palm on the coffee table, her face full of frustration.
"He's just a criminal who got drunk and ran someone over—how can he be this powerful?"
"A useless piece of trash—how could he know someone like Boss He?"
Standing beside her was a woman in a flowing pink dress. She frowned slightly and let out a soft sigh.
"Cousin, you have a marriage tie with the Lin family. Back then, they helped us through a crisis and kept the Liu family afloat. Why couldn't you just wait a little longer before breaking off the engagement? Why were you in such a rush?"
"If you'd waited even one more day, Murong Qingcheng wouldn't have had the chance, and the Lin family would still be our golden backer!"
"With their support, you could have soared to the top, and our Liu family could have become a first-tier family in Yancheng!"
Across from her sat a middle-aged man—her father, Liu Yulong. He sighed deeply and glanced at the woman in pink.
"Liu Xiaomei, what's the point of this hindsight? What's done is done. There's no going back now. Talking about it changes nothing."
"Right now, we should focus on figuring out how to handle the situation."
Liu Xiaomei looked at Liu Ruyan. "Cousin, Lin Chen treated you well. Why don't you just apologize to him? He's not the kind to be completely heartless."
"Otherwise, if he decides to settle accounts with us, it'll be too late!"
Liu Ruyan bit a fingernail until it snapped off, then finally made up her mind.
"No! Absolutely not!"
It was true she'd regretted it—more than once. If she hadn't called off the engagement, maybe she'd still have a chance.
But she could never admit that regret. She enjoyed that feeling of standing above him, trampling Lin Chen underfoot.
For the sake of pride, she'd torn all ties with the Lin family, repeatedly humiliating them to elevate herself.
If she apologized now, she would lose all her dignity and become the biggest laughingstock in Yancheng.
"Father, we must not apologize!" Liu Ruyan said firmly. "This isn't over yet. Even the Tiger Guard has shown up. If Lin Chen dares offend them, he won't live long!"
"The Lin family fell from being the top family to their current state because they must have angered some sky-reaching figure. We broke off the engagement precisely to cut ties. Anyone connected to the Lin family will meet misfortune!"
"Just wait and see—Lin Chen won't last long. Besides, our Liu family has our own backers!"
"Our backers?" Liu Xiaomei's eyes lit up.
"That's right. Boss Qian is planning to invest in Yancheng. He liked my proposal and wants to work with the Liu family."
"As long as we connect with Boss Qian, even Lin Chen won't dare touch us!"
A flicker of jealousy crossed Liu Xiaomei's eyes. "True, Boss Qian seems to appreciate you—but is it your proposal he likes, or something else?"
She had met this Young Master Qian before, but her looks couldn't compare to Liu Ruyan's, and he hadn't spared her a second glance.
With a slightly sour tone, she added, "And Young Master Qian seems to 'appreciate' you quite a lot as well."
Liu Ruyan frowned, fully understanding her cousin's implication.
Liu Yulong's eyes brightened. "Qian family—could it be that Qian family from the Southern Territories?"
"Yes, that one," Liu Ruyan nodded, then turned to her cousin. "When did you meet Young Master Qian?"
"Yesterday, by chance on the street. We had a meal together. He asked a lot about you—what you like, your hobbies, even your past. Oh, and he said he's staying at the Longxiang Hotel, and you're welcome to visit anytime."
"Cousin, forget about the proposal. We both know why he's really here."
Liu Ruyan lifted her chin proudly. She had absolute confidence in her beauty—far above Liu Xiaomei's. No wonder Young Master Qian had suddenly become interested in working with her after showing no enthusiasm at first.
"See? Breaking off the engagement was the right move." She turned to her father. "Dad, the Qian family is a top-tier clan in the south. They value reputation. If I hadn't broken off the engagement, even if Young Master Qian liked me, he wouldn't have dared get close."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Liu Yulong, now calculating in his mind, smiled approvingly. "In that case, daughter, you must seize this opportunity! I knew you were smart—breaking off the engagement was the right call! The Lin family is finished. They can't compare to the Qian family at all, and soon they'll be wiped out."
Liu Xiaomei's heart burned with jealousy, but she forced a sweet tone. "Indeed, cousin, your charm is unmatched. Whether it's Lin Chen or Young Master Qian, they're all captivated by you. Before long, even Dou Shao of the Four Great Families will be at your feet."
The Liu family members all nodded in agreement. Clinging to powerful men was second nature to them.
Their current standing came from Liu Ruyan's engagement to Lin Chen. After he went to prison, she had survived by weaving her way among wealthy young heirs.
Hearing Dou Qiankun's name, Liu Ruyan's eyes flickered with a hint of disappointment. Sure, he was interested in her body, but his domineering fiancée kept her from crossing that line.
"Don't worry," she said with a confident smile. "As long as I set my mind to it, there's no man I can't take down."
…
"Ah, that feels good!"
"Ah, that feels good!"
Murong Qingcheng had just finished a board meeting. She stretched, then slipped an arm around Lin Chen.
"Honey, you have no idea—before, every time I had to hold a board meeting, just thinking about those old troublemakers gave me a headache. But now, with our cooperation with the Long family, seeing them shut their mouths one by one—I can't help but laugh."
Announcing she would marry Lin Chen had brought her immense pressure, with many directors deliberately making things difficult for her. Without the Long family's cooperation, she might not have been able to hold onto her position as president.
Lin Chen smiled gently. "The Long family's cooperation with the Lin family, handing the project to our group—they're smart enough to understand the meaning behind it."
Long Mengyu truly knew how to handle things. It hadn't been in vain that he'd saved her life. With her help, he'd been spared a lot of trouble. For that alone, he would find time to completely cure Old Master Long's illness.
"That's right—my husband is so capable." Murong Qingcheng giggled, pride in her eyes.
"I won't drag you down either. It's time to clean up the company. I'm going to use this chance to cut out all the tumors."
Her journey had been anything but easy. People only saw the strong, enviable female CEO—but they didn't see the cracks beneath. The company had long been struggling to stay afloat.
Her beauty had brought endless trouble, and without the help of her two close sisters, the company might have been swallowed whole long ago.
Yancheng was a top-tier city in the Dragon Nation. To make it here was unimaginably difficult. As an orphan without a powerful background, she had often been forced to compromise just to survive.
"Honey, did you know? When the board found out I was going to marry you, they banded together to try and kick me out as president."
She pouted slightly. "Of course, they'd been planning that for a while—this was just the excuse they were waiting for."