Within an hour, Chen Yang had set four dishes and a soup on the dining table. He turned to Qin Qiu, who was sitting on the sofa reading through documents, and called out, "Honey, dinner's ready!"
A weary Qin Qiu rubbed her temples, then stood and walked toward the dining table.
Following closely behind, Luo Sulan pointed a finger at Chen Yang and shouted angrily, "You good-for-nothing! Such a valuable connection, wasted just like that! Did you really think getting a car in exchange would make me change my opinion of you? Impossible!
"You're not eating today! Get back to the kitchen!"
She believed it was better to teach a lesson than to offer a handout. With the Qin Family in dire straits and her own prejudice against Chen Yang, it was a show of restraint that she didn't get physical.
"Mom, that's enough," Qin Qiu said with a frown.
"Hmph!"
Luo Sulan huffed heavily, saying no more, merely glaring at Chen Yang.
"Is that Elder Jin really so impressive?" Chen Yang sneered, completely unconcerned.
Who cares if they're some ancient martial arts family? In his eyes, the Zhennan Prince, what do they even amount to? To put it bluntly, accepting his car was already giving them a tremendous amount of face.
"Ha!"
Luo Sulan scoffed as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. A good-for-nothing who'd married into the family and lived off his wife is actually claiming Elder Jin is nothing special? He's not just worthless, he's a frog in a well. How pathetic!
"Alright! Chen Yang, that's enough!" Already exhausted, Qin Qiu's head began to throb. She waved a hand dismissively. "Chen Yang, starting today, you're coming to work at the company with me. You'll start from the bottom."
She had wanted to say this for a long time, but back then, her thoughts were mostly consumed by divorce. Now that her grandfather's health was improving, she didn't want to upset the old man over her problems with Chen Yang.
If Grandpa passed away over something so trivial, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Everything would have to wait until he had fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
"Work?" Chen Yang hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay, I can do that. But can it be a bit later? I have some things to take care of this afternoon."
"What business could you possibly have?" Qin Qiu's expression soured. To her, it was clearly just an excuse; Chen Yang didn't want to go.
Chen Yang didn't explain. He thought for a moment, then said, "It shouldn't take long. I'll come find you at the company as soon as I'm done."
"Don't waste your energy. When have you ever seen a lost cause amount to anything?" Luo Sulan sneered, grinding her teeth.
Qin Qiu smiled bitterly. She had indeed thought too highly of him.
"You all eat first. I'm going to take care of something."
With that, Chen Yang took off his apron, walked out of the villa, and drove off in the van. On the way, he dialed Yang Hu's number.
Upon learning that Han Rui had been dealt with, Chen Yang just grunted in acknowledgment and asked, "Are you at the Tianhai Group?"
"I'm here."
"Wait for me."
After hanging up, Chen Yang floored the accelerator, heading straight for the Tianhai Group.
That Zhao Li… After getting fired, he actually dared to hold a grudge and send people to steal from the Qin Family? He's practically begging for death!
Chen Yang drove the van with the aggression of a sports car, reaching the Tianhai Group in a third of the usual time.
"Big Bro!" Yang Hu came over to greet him, handing him a folder. "This guy, Zhao Li, has dirty hands. When he was at Sister-in-law's company, he was using his position for personal gain."
"After Sister-in-law fired him, he joined the Tianhai Group, claiming to possess the Qin Corporation's trade secrets."
"Lately, this Zhao Li has been sticking close to Liu Zongnan, the chairman of the Tianhai Group. I'd guess they're probably discussing how to seize the Qin Corporation's trade secrets."
Chen Yang flipped through the file briefly, then waved his hand. "Let's go!"
After entering the elevator, Chen Yang pressed the button for the 31st floor. He had to get there first to take the dedicated elevator to the chairman's level.
Soon, they arrived on the 31st floor.
Exiting the elevator, they faced a long corridor. At the far end was the elevator to the chairman's office, flanked by two security guards on duty.
Seeing two unfamiliar faces approaching, the guards grew vigilant. One of them shouted, "Who are you?"
Chen Yang kept his hands in his pockets without saying a word.
Yang Hu grinned, baring his teeth. "We're here to see Zhao Li and Liu Zongnan."
"You're looking for our chairman? Do you have an appointment?"
Yang Hu spread his hands. "No."
"You can't go up without an appointment!" one of the guards declared, stepping forward with a hand outstretched to stop them.
"I'm going up anyway."
The guard was speechless. "..."
SWISH.
Yang Hu suddenly lunged forward with the overwhelming force of a tiger descending a mountain.
BANG! BANG!
With two dull thuds, the security guards collapsed. They were unconscious before they could even process what had happened.
Yang Hu stood at the elevator entrance and clapped the dust from his hands. "You guys have it tough. I went easy on you."
They entered the elevator and ascended three more floors, finally arriving at the chairman's office.
「Meanwhile.」
In a lavish office, spanning over three hundred square meters, a portly Liu Zongnan and Zhao Li sat on a sofa before a marble coffee table. On it lay a document sealed with beeswax.
Behind them, seven or eight bodyguards stood in two rows. Dressed in matching black suits with their hands clasped behind their backs, they were an intimidating sight.
"Chairman Liu, I suspect Qin Donglai's death is directly connected to this document!" Zhao Li said with utmost confidence, his head still wrapped in gauze as he tapped the file on the table.
He was well aware of the Qin Family's current plight, so he wasn't at all surprised he'd gotten his hands on the document so easily.
Seeing Liu Zongnan's keen interest, Zhao Li began to break the seal, saying, "Something that cost Qin Donglai his life... How much do you think it's worth?"
"Don't you worry. As long as it's useful to me, I won't short you a single cent of the five million I promised!" Liu Zongnan nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation.
The Tianhai Group, like the Qin Corporation, was a pharmaceutical company. If this document contained the formula for some new drug, he would gladly pay not just five million, but fifty.
"Thank you, Chairman Liu."
Zhao Li was beaming, but when he opened the folder and saw it contained nothing but a blank sheet of paper, his smile froze on his face.
"H-How is this possible?!"
Zhao Li shot to his feet, his eyes bulging as his face turned purple with rage.
He was about to defend himself against Liu Zongnan's hostile glare when, completely unexpectedly…
BANG!
The office door was blasted open with tremendous force. The sudden explosion of sound stunned everyone in the room, leaving them dazed.
"What's going on?"
"Who are you people?!"
The bodyguards were the first to recover, their faces etched with lingering fear as they shouted harshly.
No one could have remained calm in the face of such a scene.
Liu Zongnan and Zhao Li finally turned to look.
Upon seeing Chen Yang standing in the doorway, Zhao Li was visibly stunned. "Chen Yang? What's a good-for-nothing like you doing here?"
...