The lingering echo left a few people looking dejected.

GASP!

Xu Shan sucked in a breath of cold air. The words that had reached the tip of his tongue were now stuck in his throat, impossible to say.

All things considered, he had been a titan of the business world for nearly thirty years, yet he had never felt such terror, such abject humiliation, and a crushing sense of helplessness.

BANG!

With the sound of a gunshot, Xu Shan could no longer hold himself up. He collapsed into the chair behind him, his face ashen.

He could never have imagined that the seemingly insignificant Qin Corporation would be connected to such a formidable entity.

Now, not only had he failed to secure the land, but he had also lost a son.

And that was just what was visible on the surface. He didn't have to think hard to know that from this day forward, his every move in Lingjin City would be severely restricted.

At this thought, Xu Shan's face turned deathly pale. He was devoid of the vigor and confidence he had once displayed in his strategic maneuverings. It was as if he had aged more than a decade in an instant.

「Downstairs at the Heaven Star Holdings building.」

Chen Yang ran over to Qin Qiu by himself.

"Honey, are you okay?" Chen Yang asked, panting heavily.

"Hmph!" Zhang Xiaowen scoffed. "So you decide to show up now? A moment ago, I saw you running faster than a rabbit."

Qin Qiu remained silent and expressionless as she turned to leave.

"Honey, please let me explain! I went to find Xu Shan from Heaven Star Holdings. He's the one who orchestrated this whole thing—"

"Honey, wait for me!"

"..."

Chen Yang shouted relentlessly, but Qin Qiu had no intention of paying him any mind. The truth was laid out right before her eyes. What else was there to explain?

Qin Qiu got into her Ferrari and sped away, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

「Inside the car.」

Qin Qiu's face was as cold as stone. Before she knew it, her eyes began to blur as tears of grievance rolled down her cheeks.

In truth, my expectations aren't that high. I'm no longer asking you to be capable or to help me with my career. I just hoped that in a moment of crisis, you could offer me a sliver of warmth. Even if you did nothing but stand by my side, that would have been enough! And what happened? Heh…

Qin Qiu let out a self-deprecating laugh. Maybe I was just being too wishful, taking too much for granted. Or maybe, trash will always be trash.

...

Chen Yang stood rooted to the spot, a helpless look on his face.

"Chen Yang, can you even call yourself a man? The Chairman is your wife! When she was in such peril, you actually turned and ran?"

After everything that had happened, Zhang Xiaowen's opinion of Chen Yang had started to improve slightly. But today, the moment she saw him turn and flee, that tiny shred of a good impression instantly crumbled.

She stared at Chen Yang with contempt and sneered, "What right does a man like you have to live in this world? If I were you, I would have smashed my head against a wall by now to spare myself the shame!"

"I went to find Xu Shan from Heaven Star Holdings. He was the one trying to grab the land. Haven't you heard the saying 'to catch bandits, first capture their king'?" Chen Yang explained.

Zhang Xiaowen laughed. "Capture the king? So where is this king you captured?"

Chen Yang: "…"

"You're a grown man, for crying out loud. How can you do something and not dare to admit it? If the Martial Department hadn't intervened today, do you have any idea what would have happened to the Chairman?"

Zhang Xiaowen shot Chen Yang a cold glance and snorted with disdain. "Go explain it to the Chairman yourself!"

With that, Zhang Xiaowen stormed off in a huff, leaving Chen Yang standing alone in the wind, completely bewildered.

Chen Yang shrugged helplessly, a wry smile touching his lips. As long as Qin Qiu is safe, nothing else matters. It's just a misunderstanding, right? What's one more? Besides, once I find the real mastermind behind Qin Donglai's murder and push the Qin Family to the pinnacle of Lingjin City, I won't need to hide my identity anymore. Everything will come to light then.

At this thought, Chen Yang's spirits lifted considerably, and he drove back to the company.

「In the sales department.」

The incident from earlier had naturally become a hot topic of discussion.

They had all thought that Qin Qiu, and indeed the entire Qin Corporation, would be in grave danger this time. Who could have possibly imagined that a Martial Guard Squad would appear out of nowhere to rescue Qin Qiu in her moment of crisis?

"Do you guys think this could have been Mr. Chen's doing? After all, he used to be in the Martial Department," Lv Haihuan asked curiously.

"Pfft! How is that possible?"

"Huanhuan, you're overthinking it."

A group of them curled their lips in derision, viewing the idea as completely impossible.

"I heard that when Mr. Chen arrived and saw the forces gathered there, he turned tail and ran! He only popped his head out after the Martial Department had resolved the situation!"

Hou Qiang, holding his teacup, waved his hand. "There must be a misunderstanding! We've all seen what kind of person Mr. Chen is and how well he treats the Chairman. How could something like that happen?"

"You never know. There were hundreds of people there. Can you imagine the scene? It's perfectly normal to get scared!"

The others nodded in agreement. Given Chen Yang's reputation as a good-for-nothing, it wasn't surprising that he would do such a thing.

"If it wasn't Mr. Chen, then it must have been the Chairman's powerful benefactor!" Lv Haihuan tilted her head and said with conviction.

Just then, Chen Yang pushed the door open. "Talking about my wife's powerful benefactor again?"

Suddenly, the previously boisterous office fell silent. Everyone shut their mouths and averted their gaze.

"Fine, I'll lay my cards on the table today. The truth is, I am my wife's powerful benefactor!"

Chen Yang said nonchalantly with his hands in his pockets, "From the Su Ding incident to the series of events that followed, including today, I was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes to help my wife."

"I'm not hiding anymore. Today, the secret's out."

Lv Haihuan: "..."

Hou Qiang: "..."

They exchanged glances, all cursing Chen Yang in their minds. How can such a shameless person exist in this world? Laying his cards on the table? Why doesn't he just ascend to heaven? The sheer level of shamelessness is unbelievable!

Seeing their strange looks, Chen Yang grinned. "What? None of you believe me? Want me to call a Martial Guard Squad over right now to open your eyes?"

This guy, is he for real?

Everyone curled their lips in mockery, internally cursing Chen Yang for being so utterly shameless.

Seeing that Chen Yang was about to say more, Hou Qiang quickly shouted, "Huanhuan, what are you waiting for? Go make a cup of tea for Mr. Chen!"

"You don't believe me either?" Chen Yang stared at Hou Qiang.

Hou Qiang patted his chest. "I believe you! Of course, I believe you! Our Chairman's benefactor must be Mr. Chen. It could only be Mr. Chen!"

YUCK!

The people standing nearby nearly vomited. When it came to brown-nosing, all of them combined couldn't hold a candle to Hou Qiang.

SQUEAK!

The door swung open, and a young man standing over 1.8 meters tall walked in, holding a bouquet of roses. His custom-tailored suit made him look imposing and sharp.

Instantly, all eyes turned to him, filled with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and above all, awe. Everyone automatically moved aside, clearing a wide path.

Not only was the young man handsome, but he also had an extraordinary air about him. He was warm and polite, smiling and nodding at everyone as he made his way toward Zhou Yufei's office.

Only after Zhou Yufei's office door was fully closed did a wave of discussion erupt among the onlookers.

"Wow, Mr. Kang's aura is on another level. He's truly befitting of someone from the Kang Family, one of the four great super-families!"

"Now that's a real scion of a wealthy family! Only a man like him is worthy of our Boss."

Chen Yang was stunned for a moment before asking Hou Qiang, "Monkey, who's this guy?"

"Kang Shuai," Hou Qiang sighed. "In Lingjin City, there are eight major families and four great super-families. This Young Master Kang Shuai is the second young master of the Kang Family, one of those four great super-families!"

"Young, rich, and devastatingly handsome, he is the White Horse Prince of countless girls' dreams. That's him they're talking about!" Hou Qiang rattled on. "Rumor has it that our Boss met him while out on sales calls. Since then, orders have been flooding in like snowflakes, single-handedly pushing our Boss from an ordinary salesperson to the manager's position."

"Logically, no woman should be able to resist such a rare catch, but our Boss is the exception! They say that no matter how enthusiastically Mr. Kang invites her, our Boss has never accepted."

Chen Yang pursed his lips. "It's right that she doesn't accept. This guy is nowhere near good enough for Yufei!"

Instantly, a volley of contemptuous gazes shot his way. Was it so hard to acknowledge someone else's excellence? If even he wasn't good enough, then who was? You? A live-in son-in-law with such a big mouth?

Soon, Zhou Yufei emerged from her office, with a resigned-looking Kang Shuai trailing behind her.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

However, when Zhou Yufei walked right up to Chen Yang and intimately looped her arm through his, everyone's eyes widened visibly.

"Mr. Kang, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Chen Yang. We already have plans to see a movie tonight, and I've booked a room for us at a couples' hotel."

Chen Yang: "…"

Kang Shuai: "…"

Everyone: "…"

"…"

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