WebNovels

Chapter 4 - Clash

"Mr. Wang has a piece of land, eee-ya eee-ya-yo. Little genius, no father, eee-ya eee-ya-yo. Quack quack quack quack, quack quack quack quack, quack quack quack quack, quack quack quack quack..." 

  Mo Jie forced himself to stay calm and didn't say a word. He had learned his lesson. Dennis wouldn't sing his solo for too long. 

"Hmph, you four-eyed monster." His self-deprecating attitude quickly turned into angry embarrassment. "Don't think that the teacher will back you up. I'm not afraid of you!" 

  Dennis spat in his face and pushed him. 

Mo Jie really didn't understand what he had done to offend him. He just wanted to find a quiet place to read, but even that wasn't allowed. 

"Hey!" Dennis knocked the computer magazine out of his hands and pushed him down onto the stone steps. 

  This was the last straw. Mo Jie puckered his lips and began to cry loudly, his wails immediately drawing the attention of everyone within a hundred miles. 

 Dennis was startled. He had never seen Mo Jie react like this before. Usually, he would grit his teeth and endure it until he felt he had hit him enough, but today he had only pushed him lightly. 

 "Dennis, it's you again!" The teachers rushed over, and it was clear that he was bullying someone again. Some of them were so angry at this unruly and incorrigible little boy that their teeth were itching. 

"He... he always looks down on me, saying that I don't have a father..." 

The teachers whispered among themselves and spent half an hour trying to stop Mo Jie from crying. After the adults took Dennis away, Mo Jie immediately stopped crying and dashed back to the classroom. 

  Less than five minutes later, when Angela walked in, he was humming a song while flipping through a magazine, causing Angela to shake her head. She had expected it. 

"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" As strong as he was, he wouldn't cry over such a minor physical attack. He was crying for the teachers to see, so that Dennis would be punished and behave himself for a while. 

"How did you know?" He knew what she was talking about, and it was scary to have a friend who understood him so well. 

"I'm sorry, but I really can't stand Dennis," Mo Jie replied apologetically. 

Angela sighed. One was her best friend, and the other was her younger brother. 

  "You did the wrong thing, you know that?" She tightened her face. 

Mo Jie closed his eyes, preparing to endure her anger. 

"You should have done this long ago." 

*         *         * 

Nice to meet you. 

The words appeared on the screen quickly. 

"Bullshit! " 

  This week, the Leng Corporation was in an uproar over "him." For those who had already been on edge, the third appearance of the "Traitor Angel" came as no surprise, but it only made them even more anxious. 

  Is Mr. Leng Yan here? 

  He and William exchanged glances, then William tapped the keyboard. 

  Yes, he is. 

  He's here? Who are you? 

I'm his right-hand man—William. 

William? William Cock? The creator of the Leng Corporation's computer network defense system? 

Yes. 

It's a beautiful design. 

"Wow, he's praising me," William chuckled. "Hmm, I'm getting more and more curious to meet him." 

  "I'm getting more and more eager to snap your neck," Leng Yan shot him a cold glance. "Ask him what he wants." 

I was thinking that Mr. Leng must be getting impatient by now. Maybe he wants to ask: What exactly are my intentions? 

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" William laughed exaggeratedly. There's no way around it! This guy is really good at reading Leng Yan's mind. 

Leng Yan growled and pushed away the man who was holding his stomach and laughing hysterically. 

Is it that funny? He tapped the keyboard forcefully, pretending to hit the person's head with a hammer. 

Who are you? What do you want? Money? 

  Cold Flame had never liked that feeling of being toyed with like a puppet. 

"Sir, if I wanted money, you'd have declared bankruptcy long ago." 

"You know, he's right." The reckless William was still stirring the pot. Of course! This guy definitely has the ability to drain the company of all its money. 

"Shut up!" 

  State your purpose! 

Remember 1985. 

"What?" Both men froze simultaneously. 

The screen flickered, then beeped—the other party had clearly hung up, leaving two silent men staring at each other. 

"Boss, did you offend someone in the past?" 

"Why don't you count them for me?" 

  William scratched his head. That made sense. The web of intrigue and backstabbing on Wall Street had spawned so many complex interests that it was impossible to untangle them all. A big fish like Burke was something many people were eager to carve up. No wonder he was so sarcastic. 

  Ignoring him, Leng Yan fell into deep thought. 

  1985. 

  This era had appeared twice. Was there really a special reason for that? 

  He took out the faxed photo that had been in his jacket pocket and felt confused. He knew the man in the photo was him, but he didn't really look like himself. He was smiling, smiling happily, as if he had won the lottery or something. The smile was very unfamiliar. When had he ever been so happy? 

  He unconsciously touched the scar on his cheek. 

  The next day at noon, just as the second hand of the clock moved one notch, "The Betrayed Angel" appeared again. 

  Before William could act, Leng Yan fired first. 

  You know me, right? 

  Half of America knows you, sir. 

  Are you part of the other half? 

  Well said. 

  What exactly happened in 1985, may I ask? 

  ... 

  Hello? 

  You know exactly what happened. 

  What do you mean? What should I know? 

  The screen suddenly cut off without warning. 

  "Wow, look at our angel getting angry," William chuckled. 

"Has he ever considered that Satan might get angry too?" The words came out of Cold Flame's nostrils, the scar on his face now snow-white and terrifying, a muscle twitching slightly. 

  The tense silence lingered for five minutes until the secretary's voice impatiently broke through the dead silence over the intercom— 

"President, the computer is— " 

"Thud!" He slammed his fist into the poor machine, sending it crashing to the ground. 

  "Damn it! What the hell are those good-for-nothings I hired doing?" His furious gaze turned toward William. 

 William dropped his playful expression and adopted a serious demeanor. 

"If you want to blame someone, blame me. We're already working on setting up a new defense system. He's so skilled that I might not be able to catch up with him yet. I've already decided to resign in disgrace." 

  Realizing his unreasonable outburst, Leng Yan finally noticed he had lost control. 

"I'm sorry." 

  William understood how angry he was and smiled sympathetically. "It's okay, I understand." 

  *         *         * 

  This was a luxury apartment located in the prime area of the city center. 

  The leather sofa, black glass coffee table, and crystal chandelier created a luxurious little space. But every time she turned on the lights and let the brightness fill the entire space, she always felt cold, regardless of the thick, soft Persian carpet under her feet. 

  Warmth. She always thought this way, the warmth that comes from the presence of people. For a single man, it was too clean, too tidy—life needed a bit of delightful chaos. 

  With her luxurious black hair curled up to her waist, she lifted the suitcase in her hands over the threshold in one go, finally letting out a breath of relief. She casually tossed the key forward, and it landed on the sofa in a graceful arc. 

  "Not back yet?" the woman murmured to herself, removing her high heels one by one and wiggling each toe. Her delicate body, wrapped in a red silk dress, stretched lazily like a well-fed cat resting after a meal. 

  The long flight had drained every ounce of her energy, and as soon as she relaxed, her eyelids grew heavy. 

When Leng Yan returned, he walked in to find this scene of a beauty sleeping like a peach blossom in spring. Her face was half-buried in her thick hair, her crossed legs revealed a large expanse of fair skin as her skirt had ridden up, exuding a tempting allure. 

  Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose, then sneezed, and her sleepy eyes opened as if she had sensed something. 

"Yan!" She was wide awake, jumping up from the sofa and throwing herself into his arms. 

  "Ah, Miss." Cold Yan wasn't as excited as she was, but he felt a deep joy in his heart. "It's been a long time. Why did you suddenly decide to come?" 

  The last time he heard from her, she had gotten married in Taiwan. 

"Don't you like seeing me?" she asked petulantly. 

"How dare I, Your Majesty." He hugged her tightly once more before letting go. 

Leng Mei Yi was his cousin and one of the few relatives he could call a friend. 

  Fifty-seven years ago, Leng Rixin successfully broke into Wall Street and made a name for himself. The Leng family then began to rise rapidly, becoming an anomaly that even the arrogant white people had to acknowledge. 

Leng Rixin was a person who was outwardly white but inwardly yellow. Although he lived in the advanced and enlightened United States, his thoughts remained stubbornly conservative, and he insisted on doing many things according to his own ideas. 

  For example: the marriage of his descendants. 

  He had four sons and one daughter, plus ten grandchildren. He still used his usual high-handed approach with these relatives, insisting that everyone follow the path he had laid out for them, from kindergarten to marriage. 

  But not everyone was willing to be a sheep managed by a lion. 

  At least Leng Nuowen was not. 

  He followed his father's wishes, attending the designated university, joining the company, and even becoming engaged to the daughter of another Chinese aristocratic family—the Sha family, specifically Sha Lining's older sister—until he met Helen. 

Helen was an orphan, a mixed-race child of Latin and Caucasian descent. Her wild spirit and striking appearance quickly captivated the otherwise rigid Leng Nuowen. 

  "If you dare to break off the engagement, don't ever come back to this house!" 

  Upon hearing Leng Nuo Wen's decision, Leng Rixin was both shocked and angry. Leng Nuo Wen was his well-behaved younger son whom he greatly admired, yet he was defying him for a street prostitute. How could this be? His authority had been violated! 

  Facing his father's anger, Leng Nuo Wen insisted on resisting to the end. 

  He carried out Leng Rixin's command—until his death, he never set foot in the house again. 

He married Helen in a whirlwind wedding, lived with her for two years, and had a son named Leng Yan. Then, one day, she packed her clothes used for dancing at the nightclub, left the infant who was just learning to speak, and disappeared into the night, never to be seen again. 

  At the age of ten, Leng Yan was finally brought back by Leng Rixin. He carried his father's ashes and the blue eyes that the old man despised. 

  However, in the ruthless business world, Leng Yan's unparalleled talent and business acumen left the other Leng family members in the dust, forcing them to concede defeat. Leng Rixin gradually began to take notice of this grandson, leading to the situation where Leng Yan eventually took full control of the company. Even if the other Leng family members hated it, there was nothing they could do. Upon Leng Rixin's death, Leng Yan officially took over as president. 

  Cold Mei Yi was another matter entirely. 

She was the illegitimate child of another son of the Cold family, conceived in a night of passion. When her mother brought her to the Cold family's doorstep with a DNA test result, Cold Rixin signed a check to send her away, reluctantly leaving the girl behind. 

  Mutual admiration and shared suffering best describe their relationship, which has made this pair of cousins exceptionally close. 

"Any news about Leng Qi?" 

"I heard he went to Colorado to film a movie." 

They were preparing food in the kitchen, with endless topics to discuss, as they hadn't seen each other in two years. 

  "How did you know to come here to find me?" 

"Two years ago, you only slept at the company or in this apartment closest to the company. I didn't think you'd change in two years." Leng Mei Yi shrugged, stating her assumption. 

Both of them slept soundly first before having the energy to chat. To accompany this cousin he hadn't seen in a long time, Leng Yan decided to set aside the morning for her. 

  Their conversation soon turned to the company and "Betrayal Angel." 

"In short, is this guy harassing you now?" 

"Harassment is an understatement." Leng Yan frowned as he stirred the fruit and cereal in his milk. "That person is strange. He seems to know me very well. I have no idea what 1985 holds any special significance for him." 

"Isn't that the year you were in the car accident?" 

"Hmm." 

That year, he was only 24 years old. He couldn't remember how the accident happened, only that he woke up in excruciating pain to find himself lying in a hospital bed, with Leng Mei Yi looking exhausted by his side. 

  The accident happened on a bridge—a severe chain-reaction collision with many casualties. He was one of the few survivors. The Leng family didn't even hire a nurse, but this cousin was willing to stay by his side day and night. He had essentially narrowly escaped death. 

  "Your breathing stopped for a moment," Leng Meiyi told him. "It happened while I was out buying some things. I was really scared at the time, but fortunately the nurse noticed it early, otherwise it would have been disastrous." 

In that car accident, the muscles in his left leg suffered severe fractures. Over the years, they had healed almost completely, but whenever the weather was particularly humid or he engaged in vigorous exercise, the pain would cause them to contract. 

  "Could it be related to the memory you lost?" Leng Mei Yi recalled that he had been handling a land transaction at the time, which involved some complications, so he frequently visited the area. Afterward, whenever he had free time, he would often drive out, and no one knew where he went. The accident caused head injuries, resulting in the loss of some of his memories. 

  She also remembered the day of the accident. Leng Yan and Leng Rixin were talking in the room, and for some reason, they started arguing. Then she saw him rush out of the house like a whirlwind and drive off in a hurry, disappearing into the distance. 

"How should I know? I don't 'remember' either." 

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