Yang Qian's face turned red, then green, as Murong Qingcheng's words hit her like a slap.She didn't have Liu Ruyan's looks, nor her fame. The only way she could live comfortably was by being "kept" by a few wealthy men. That scandal had exploded years ago and sparked endless gossip.
It wasn't until she latched onto her current husband—a businessman with some status—that she managed to crawl back into high society. Out of respect for the man's face, most people had stopped bringing up her past.
But now…
"Boo-hoo! Honey! She insulted me! You have to stand up for me!"Yang Qian wailed, plopping onto the floor in a shameless display.
"Who dares bully Song Xiang's woman?!"A booming voice roared, and in waddled a balding, greasy, overweight man. He looked well past fifty, his face flushed with rage.
"Baby, who bullied you?" he asked, panting slightly.
"It's her! That woman right there!" Yang Qian sobbed, pointing at Murong Qingcheng like she'd been gravely wronged.
Song Xiang's jowls trembled as he glared at Murong. "So it was you who dared to mess with my baby!"
Murong glanced at him, then at Yang Qian, and her lips curved faintly."You're her husband? At your age, you could be her grandfather." She tilted her head at Yang Qian. "You really are desperate. No one would take you after that old scandal, so you went and found yourself a grandpa?"
The words made Song Xiang's face turn purple. "You dare humiliate my baby like that? Do you know who I am?!"
Murong gave a cold, dismissive laugh. Her eyes swept over the pair."Pfft." She finally let out a laugh. "They say cats find cats, roosters pair with ducks… and sluts find dogs—forever and ever."
The line hit like a slap. As far as Murong was concerned, people like this weren't even worth polite words.
Song Xiang's fury boiled over. "Fine! Since you're looking for death, I'll grant it! Men—tear her mouth apart!"
At his wave, four bodyguards in black suits surged forward. Their muscles stretched the fabric tight, looking intimidating to an untrained eye—but to a true martial artist, they were nothing.
To Lin Chen, they weren't even warm-up material.
From the crowd, Liu Ruyan stepped forward quickly. "Boss Song, calm down. This isn't the place for trouble. I'll have Young Master Qian throw them out." She knew Lin Chen was a martial artist—one capable of crushing grandmasters. If it came to blows, Song Xiang's men would be destroyed.
"Absolutely not!" Song Xiang barked. "If she doesn't kneel and apologize, this won't end!"
Yang Qian stood tall now, her nose in the air. With her man backing her, she saw a chance to steal the spotlight from Liu Ruyan. "That's right! Slap her ten times so she knows some people are untouchable!"
Liu Ruyan could only rub her forehead helplessly. She was starting to regret letting this escalate, but Song Xiang clearly wasn't backing down—and neither were his bodyguards.
They closed in on Murong Qingcheng.
A blur of motion.
A fist the size of a cooking pot smashed into the first guard.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One punch after another sent the four men flying. Before anyone could react, Lin Chen's foot slammed into Song Xiang's gut.
Thud!
The bloated man rolled across the floor like a ball, crashing into the wall with a loud smack.
"Now…" Lin Chen's voice was ice as he stood over him. "Who did you say should kneel?"
Even Liu Ruyan, who'd seen Lin Chen fight before, was stunned.
Just then, Boss Qian arrived at the hotel entrance with a group in tow. He caught the tail end of the scene, his eyes narrowing.
"Master Wu," he said to the white-robed elder behind him, "can you gauge that young man's strength?"
Master Wu's face grew solemn. He studied Lin Chen for a long moment. "Those bodyguards were nothing, but this man's aura… is strong. Very strong. I suspect he's reached the Grandmaster realm."
"A Grandmaster? At barely twenty?" Boss Qian was intrigued.
Master Wu nodded slightly. "I'm certain he's a martial artist. But… I can't see his true level. Either he's far stronger than me, or he has some method to conceal his power."
Song Xiang dragged himself to his feet, terror in his eyes. His bodyguards were no ordinary thugs—they were foreign mercenaries. For this young man to dispatch them so easily… he had to be a martial artist. Which meant… he'd kicked an iron plate.
Yang Qian, still trembling, whispered to Liu Ruyan, "Yan Yan… who is he?"
Liu Ruyan sighed. "He's Lin Chen—the Lin family's eldest young master."
Plop!
Yang Qian collapsed to the floor, her face drained of all color. "What? You mean… he's that Lin family's eldest young master?"
She clutched at Liu Ruyan desperately. "Yan Yan, you have to help me… I only did this for you…"
Liu Ruyan's eyes flickered. "I tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen… You can't blame me for this. You made this mess—you have to deal with it yourself. And that woman is Murong Qingcheng. You…" She trailed off with a sigh.
Yang Qian gave a bitter laugh, her eyes twisting with hatred toward Liu Ruyan. If not for her, she never would have provoked the Lin family or Murong Qingcheng.
But Song Xiang wasn't thinking about revenge anymore. He dropped to his knees before Lin Chen, shaking like a leaf. "Young Master Lin, please spare me. It was my fault. I'll do anything—just give me one chance…" He slapped himself as he begged.
Lin Chen didn't even look at him. "Get lost."
It was all Song Xiang needed to hear. Ecstatic, he kowtowed hard, then scrambled away—completely forgetting Yang Qian. She stumbled after him in shame.
The scene passed quickly. Liu Ruyan melted into the crowd, searching for Young Master Qian. Without his backing, she realized, she wasn't even qualified to stand before Lin Chen.
Boss Qian, however, was staring at Lin Chen with a calculating look. He remembered hearing how this young man had slapped a late-stage Grandmaster into the air. Could it be… that Lin Chen was a Great Grandmaster already?
If not yet, then soon.
Such a man was worth befriending—at the very least, worth not offending.
In the crowd, Liu Ruyan finally spotted Boss Qian and hurried forward. "Boss Qian—"
But he walked right past her without even glancing her way. In fact, she was blocking his path, and he gave her a shove as he passed.