Lu Chengwen glared back at Jiang Shihan, who quickly stifled her reaction.
"In short!" Chen Qingbin slammed the table. "My daughter will never marry you, Lu Chengwen. Give up on that idea now, or you'll make things ugly for both our families!"
Lu Chengwen forced a smile. "Understood. Actually, I came here today to—"
"I don't care why you're here!" Chen Qingbin interrupted. "Know your place, and know your family's place. Just because my father-in-law thinks highly of you doesn't mean you're untouchable. You know what kind of person you are, don't you?"
"Uncle Chen, I'm here to discuss business—"
"Our families barely have any business overlap. Just some trivial contracts. Send your people to talk to Mengyun's team about those. Let's keep our meetings to a minimum."
"If you have time to lecture me, can you spare a few minutes to look at this—"
"My time is valuable, and I have a lot—"
"Are you ever going to shut up?" Lu Chengwen snapped, his voice booming. "When I saw you and Auntie in the living room with Mengyun the other day, you didn't have this attitude!"
Chen Qingbin's face froze in shock. "What did you say? Did you just curse at me?"
"Yeah, are your ears stuffed with chicken feathers?"
Chen Qingbin trembled with rage. "That day, I was playing the part of a family man, a hands-off boss, a generous guy—for my daughter and wife's sake! That doesn't mean I approve of you!"
Lu Chengwen thrust a contract forward. "Look at this clearly. I'm offering your family a guaranteed investment of 12 billion, and it has nothing to do with your daughter! I'm not interested in her. Not even a little!"
Chen Qingbin sputtered, "You… you dare—"
"Of course I dare!" Lu Chengwen shot back. "I'm the eldest son of the Lu family. Our assets far surpass yours now. I've been here for minutes, listening to your nonsense, and you haven't even offered me a cup of tea! If I don't snap at you, who else would I snap at?"
"Hey!"
"Hey what?" Lu Chengwen continued, unrelenting. "I come here with a good contract, and you think the Lu family can't function without you? Aristocrat this, aristocrat that—can your noble title feed you? Were your ancestors born rich? You're just sitting on inherited wealth. My father built our empire from nothing. What right do you have to act superior?"
"I—"
"Study the Four Books and Five Classics again and hang a plaque of 'Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Trust' in your living room. The contract's here. Sign it or don't—your choice. It expires soon. Zhao Gang, Shihan, let's go!"
"Wait, you—"
Lu Chengwen spun around. "Let me tell you, Chen Ergouzi! If it weren't for the fact that I once dated your daughter and am buddies with your son, I wouldn't even offer you this contract! Your daughter's precious to you, fine, but I'm not interested. Keep her away from me. If you push me too far, I'll get her pregnant and send her back to you. Let's see how you handle that!"
Chen Qingbin was dumbfounded.
He had never seen Lu Chengwen so crude, so aggressive, so utterly unrestrained, unleashing his full fury.
Lu Chengwen jabbed a finger at Chen Qingbin's forehead. "Keep your eyes open from now on!"
With that, Lu Chengwen and his entourage stormed out.
Chen Qingbin sat in stunned silence for a long while.
The butler leaned in. "Master, that kid was beyond rude."
Chen Qingbin nodded slowly. "You know, there's a certain… domineering charm to him, don't you think?"
The butler thought to himself, I don't know about his charm, but you, sir, are eating this up.
Leng Tianhao was on the verge of collapse.
Long Aotian was doing well, and Leng Qingqiu was holding her own.
But!
The Leng family's capital chain had snapped—not "about to snap," but already broken.
If Long Aotian were to take over now, he'd have no funds to work with. Leng Qingqiu had money, but for her to stay in power, they'd need to renegotiate contracts to secure her position for at least five years.
Lu Chengwen's project had swept billions through the stock market, breaking even. But the Leng family had poured 4.9 billion into it!
4.9 billion!
It was about to go down the drain.
Everyone was saying Lu Chengwen had played a ruthless game. Even if the shantytown project lost money, it wouldn't burn through 50 billion, would it? And the billions he'd earned in the stock market would at least balance things out.
Moreover, with this momentum, Lu Chengwen had secured a wealth of other resources. In the coming years, the Lu family would become a key focus of government support, with most major opportunities tied to them, possibly even orchestrated by them behind the scenes.
The bigger picture was clear: with this one project, the Lu family had tied up over 30 billion in liquid assets from the Xu and Chen families, effectively hobbling their ability to move forward. Meanwhile, they were dragging the Leng family into ruin, practically shoving them into an incinerator.
While the Lu family triumphed on another battlefield, the Xu and Chen families' competitiveness would be stifled for years. The Leng family was the first piece of meat on Lu Chengwen's plate, ready to be devoured.
What broke Leng Tianhao even more was the loss of the land he'd coveted. He'd secured a 2-billion loan from banks to bid for it, only to be told by the Land Bureau that it had been gifted away.
Gifted!?
A plot worth 1.5 to 2 billion, just given away!?
When he asked who got it, they wouldn't say. But the Leng family wasn't without connections. A little digging revealed the truth: Lu Chengwen.
Leng Tianhao felt like he'd fallen into an icy abyss.
Reflecting on recent events, he realized how terrifying Lu Chengwen was.
He recalled the moments: Lu Chengwen's unusual behavior at the engagement banquet; his refusal to marry and Long Aotian's appearance; how, when Leng Tianhao mentioned his interest in that land, Lu Chengwen claimed he had no interest in it or the amusement park project…
Yet, while seemingly helping Leng Qingqiu, he'd lured her into the shantytown project's trap. Behind the scenes, he'd quietly secured that land without a fight, without spending a dime.
Lu Chengwen had won spectacularly.
The Leng family's ambitious investment to turn things around had been shattered, dragged into ruin. The entire Qianfeng Group had fallen into a deadly trap laid by Lu Chengwen. Within six months, the Leng family would collapse entirely, becoming another asset under Lu Chengwen's control.
Thinking back to how he'd underestimated Lu Chengwen, Leng Tianhao felt like a fool. Lu Chengwen's feigned disinterest had probably been a mask for his amusement at Leng Tianhao's ignorance.
Who could've imagined that a seasoned veteran like Leng Tianhao, who'd played the game for decades, would be outmaneuvered by a kid in his early twenties?
He was staring at utter destruction.
A servant announced, "Young Master Lu Chengwen of the Lu family requests an audience."
Leng Tianhao's face darkened. "Let him in."
In his mind, he thought, I need to steady him, find a way to make him spare the Leng family. But why would he? He's got the upper hand. Why wouldn't he crush us completely? Leng Qingqiu! Yes! He likes Qingqiu! What if I offer her to him, no strings attached, just to save the Leng family?
No, I'm an idiot. If he swallows our family, Qingqiu will end up with him anyway. Why would he spare us? Besides, if his approach to Qingqiu was part of his strategy, she might not even mean that much to him.
What do I do? What do I do?
Lu Chengwen was furious.
These old foxes, each one sneakier than the last, each one putting on a bigger act! They'd handed over their power but still played the high-and-mighty card. Were they bored out of their minds?
He was delivering money to their doorstep, and they treated him like a villain!
One after another, they seemed to itch for a scolding. Leng Tianhao was the worst of the lot—probably the most insufferable of the three.
If he dares to provoke me, I'll tear him apart! No guarantees, nothing!
The door swung open, and Lu Chengwen stormed in with purpose.
"Oh, Chengwen, you're here. This is—"
"Shut up!" Lu Chengwen's eyes were bloodshot as he slapped a contract onto the table. "Read it! One more word, and I'll end you!"
"Oh, okay, okay."
Leng Tianhao began reviewing the contract.
Lu Chengwen was still fuming. "Don't skip a single word. No useless chatter. I'm in a bad mood today."
"Yes, yes, I'll read it first."
Leng Tianhao finished and looked up, confused. "Chengwen… what's this about?"
"Don't ask me what it's about. Just tell me: do you sign or not?"
Leng Tianhao bit his lip, utterly baffled.
"This… this contract seems to only benefit us. I…"
"Stop wasting my time!" Lu Chengwen barked. "Just tell me—sign or don't sign! If you don't, I'm out the door, and we're done. If you do, sign it now and have your daughter stamp it later!"
Leng Tianhao felt wronged.
In his heart, he thought, See? When someone's got the upper hand, they talk tough. He's crushed us to the point where we have no say.
He reviewed the contract again, looking at Lu Chengwen. "There's no trap here. I… I can sign."
Lu Chengwen nodded to Jiang Shihan. "Give him the pen."
Seeing Leng Tianhao sign obediently, Lu Chengwen's anger subsided slightly. "Good. You're smarter than the others."
Leng Tianhao smiled weakly. "Chengwen, I was wrong before. Don't hold it against me."
Lu Chengwen paused, nodding. "I… I was harsh just now too. Don't take it personally, Uncle Leng. Honestly, I've been to three families today. If someone offered me a contract like this, I'd be on my knees thanking them. Those other two old fools didn't even glance at it before lecturing me. It really set me off."
"Chen and Xu signed too?"
"Yeah."
Lu Chengwen sighed. "Got any water? I'm parched."
"Yes, yes, of course."
Leng Tianhao quickly had someone fetch mineral water.
Lu Chengwen took a sip. "That Xu Zhiyun—ugh! He was convinced I was after his daughter, thinking I was offering 20 billion to buy her! As if she's worth 20 billion, even if she were made of gold!"
"Oh, I see."
"And Chen Qingbin was worse! The moment I walked in, he started berating me, even dragging my dad into it, calling us nouveau riche! That pushed me over the edge!"
"I understand."
Lu Chengwen nodded. "You're the calm one."
Leng Tianhao sighed. "Chengwen, you're a good kid. Always have been, with a kind heart."
Lu Chengwen slapped the chair, turning to Jiang Shihan. "He's touching my heart! Seriously, I'm all warm inside!"
Leng Tianhao hesitated. "You… you've played a brilliant game this time. Can… can the Leng family survive?"
Lu Chengwen froze, his expression turning sour. "What are you talking about? Whether you live or die is your business. Why ask me? Do I control that? I'm just trying to manage myself and Dasheng Group. Your three families' fates have nothing to do with me! Sign this contract, and we'll follow its terms. No debts, no favors!"
Leng Tianhao's voice trembled with desperation. "Please, I'm begging you. Give the Leng family a way out!"
Lu Chengwen's face contorted as if he'd just eaten something vile. "What are you even saying?"
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