Huang Hailong’s knees slammed into the ground with a dull thud, a sound that made even the listeners wince in pain.
He crawled to Lin Xingwan’s feet, his voice laced with panic, “My dear lady, please don’t take them off. It was my fault, all my fault. I beg you, please don’t take them off.”
The surrounding guests, witnessing this scene, were all shocked.
“Everyone, I just said that Miss Lin has a mole between her legs. I made it up. I did it because I wanted to have Miss Lin and would resort to any means. I am guilty, I am an idiot.”
After speaking, Huang Hailong slapped himself hard.
Everyone was stunned. Some quick-witted individuals immediately understood.
“Huang Hailong’s father being laid off must be because he lied here.”
“The Dongfang Consortium is still pursuing Huang Hailong for defamation. Is this what they call ‘dragging his father down’?”
“I knew it. How could the pure and chaste Miss Lin possibly fancy a disgusting man like Huang Hailong?”
…
Guests are like weather vanes, always siding with whoever is in power.
“A rare treasure? A basin for storing essence? Hmm?” Zhou Jinbai remembered everything Huang Hailong had said.
Huang Hailong kowtowed vigorously, “I was wrong, I was truly wrong. Please forgive me. I will never appear before you again.”
Zhou Jinbai kicked Huang Hailong in the chest. He turned pale with pain, his eyes rolling back as he gasped for breath, almost passing out from the agony.
A woman in an expensive women’s suit, with a very hot figure, also rushed to Zhou Jinbai’s side.
“Mr. Zhou, hello. I am Chen Yuchu, the executive secretary of the Dongfang Consortium. The president sent me to handle Huang Hailong’s matter. I apologize for the great trouble this has caused you and Miss Lin. Please rest assured that the Dongfang Consortium will handle this matter seriously and proactively, and will not tolerate anyone who smears the Dongfang Consortium.”
Zhou Jinbai nodded slightly. Huang Hailong, who had been struggling to survive, turned ashen upon seeing Chen Yuchu.
He had seen this woman before. She was Chen Yuchu, a favored subordinate of the Dongfang Consortium’s president. Although she looked beautiful like a vase, she was actually decisive and ruthless in her methods.
Liu Mengqin leaned in and whispered to Lin Xingwan, suppressing her excitement, “It’s really Chen Yuchu, my idol! I didn’t expect someone from the Dongfang Consortium to be so swift. Xingwan, Huang Hailong is going to have a terrible night.”
“A mouth that spews lies has no need to exist. Master Qin Liu, Boss Yang, Secretary Chen, am I right?” Zhou Jinbai asked.
“Of course. I have countless ways to rip out Huang Hailong’s tongue, but I don’t know which one Mr. Zhou prefers,” Master Qin Liu replied respectfully.
Boss Yang, however, patted Master Qin Liu’s shoulder, “Old Qin, have you forgotten about gouging out eyes and cutting off ears?”
Master Qin Liu nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes. Look at my memory, it really deteriorates with age.”
“If that’s the case, then let’s rip out his tongue, cut off his ears, and… gouge out his eyes. A mere Royal dares to impersonate the Dongfang Consortium to swindle and deceive. Your father is merely a watchdog for the Dongfang Consortium, what right does he have to interfere with the casting for ‘Immortal Journey’? He was recently crippled and left at the company entrance to be gawked at. Your fate will be a hundred times worse than your father’s.”
Huang Hailong, terrified by Chen Yuchu’s words, had already wet himself.
“I didn’t look… I didn’t see anything, Secretary Chen. I was just talking nonsense. I was possessed. I will never spread rumors about the Dongfang Consortium again.”
Huang Hailong kowtowed again. Even though this time his head made a thudding sound against the ground, and blood gushed from his cracked forehead, no one pitied him.
“Do you want someone else to do it, or do you want to do it yourself?” Zhou Jinbai threw a knife in front of Huang Hailong.
Huang Hailong recoiled in fear, but under the pressure of Secretary Chen, Master Qin Liu, and Boss Yang, he dared not refuse.
If he did it himself, there might be a glimmer of hope for survival.
But if these people did it to him, whether he would survive the night was a question.
Huang Hailong finally picked up the knife. It wasn’t heavy, but he needed both hands to hold it, and even then, it trembled violently.
Huang Hailong forcefully brought the knife down towards his ear. The guests screamed.
At the same time, Zhou Jinbai covered Lin Xingwan’s eyes.
“It’s dirty. Don’t look.”
Lin Xingwan nodded obediently.
Then, a second scream came from the crowd.
Then a third, a fourth…
When Zhou Jinbai removed his hands, Lin Xingwan’s gaze fell on Huang Hailong again. She saw that his head was now covered by a large bucket.
Blood pooled on the ground. Bodyguards were dragging Huang Hailong out.
“Wait, I want to say a few words to him,” Zhou Jinbai said. The bodyguards immediately stopped.
Thus, Zhou Jinbai walked up to Huang Hailong in front of everyone.
He spoke in a voice like a devil, audible only to the two of them, “Do you know why you’re so unlucky? Because I am the president of the Dongfang Consortium. Huang Hailong, you shouldn’t have, but you provoked my woman. If anyone finds out my identity, I guarantee you’ll wish you were dead but couldn’t die.”
Huang Hailong froze as if enchanted. A few seconds later, due to the extreme shock, he lost consciousness.
When Zhou Jinbai returned, Lin Xingwan asked, “What did you say to Huang Hailong? He seemed quite stimulated.”
Zhou Jinbai squeezed Lin Xingwan’s hand, “Nothing much, just took the opportunity to scold him a few words. He fainted from anger.”
Lin Xingwan nodded, “I want to do something else, is that okay?”
“Of course, even if you bring down the sky, I’ll be here to support you.”
With Zhou Jinbai’s words, Lin Xingwan elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt and stopped in front of Lin Shirou.
“Sister, you…”
*Slap*
Before Lin Shirou could finish speaking, Lin Xingwan slapped her.
“You keep calling me sister, but every word you say is malicious, deliberately pushing me into a fiery pit.”
“I didn’t…”
*Slap*
Another slap.
“This slap is for what the Lin family has done. As my family, instead of protecting me when I was being framed by outsiders, you wanted me to be publicly humiliated. You don’t deserve to be my family.”
These words left the entire Lin family utterly disgraced.
The surrounding guests whispered, and Zhong Jingjing and others were mortified.
“The Lin family has two daughters. The younger one is treated like a treasure, the elder one like dirt. If my child were to sacrifice themselves for the company’s development, I would feel immensely guilty. But look at the faces of this family, they want to have their cake and eat it too.”
“I heard that the reason Lin Xingwan broke up with Gu Shaoting was because Lin Shirou, that promiscuous woman, climbed into her brother-in-law’s bed, yet the Lin family made Lin Xingwan take the blame.”
“Old Madam Lin, there’s something I don’t know if I should say. If you’re truly blinded by old age, then quickly hand over the Lin family’s business to Miss Lin Xingwan to manage. I don’t think your Lin family’s conduct is very strict. You are truly… disrespectful of your elders.”
Zhong Jingjing’s old face had nowhere to hide. If she didn’t apologize now, the Lin family would be ridiculed for a lifetime.
She cleared her throat and looked at Lin Xingwan with affectionate eyes, “Xingwan, I am truly sorry. I was confused at the time and believed the lies of that beast Huang Hailong. Grandma apologizes to you and hopes you can forgive me.”
“I’m sorry, Sister.” Lin Shirou’s cheeks were red and swollen, looking extremely embarrassed.
“Daughter, love deeply means to correct strictly. What lasting grudges can there be between family members?” Lin Hanhai also apologized.
Lin Xingwan, however, coldly withdrew her gaze. Apologies, the word ‘sorry,’ were just things some people said. They apologized to alleviate their guilt, but the harm they caused to the victim was real.
Moreover, the Lin family’s purpose in apologizing was only due to the circumstances; they felt no remorse whatsoever.
Why should she condescend to forgive them?
Lin Xingwan’s deliberate disregard left the Lin family with no way to save face.
Zhong Jingjing’s expression grew even uglier, but she couldn’t lash out.
“What about those who helped Huang Hailong put on a show earlier? Why are they all silent now?” Zhou Jinbai scanned the crowd. The faces of these onlookers turned nervous in unison.
“What do you want to do? We were just deceived by Huang Hailong. We didn’t really want to harm Miss Lin.”
“This has nothing to do with us. We just wanted to know the truth.”
“Whether she takes them off or not, no one held a knife to her neck. What’s the point of blaming us? Are you going to gouge out all our eyes, rip out our tongues, and cut off our ears tonight?”
The guests thought they had escaped, but Zhou Jinbai had not forgotten them.
They frantically made excuses for themselves, each with an indignant look on their faces.
“If you don’t know the truth, then shut your mouth and don’t stand on the moral high ground to casually judge others. Words are the sharpest weapons in the world. You hurt others, and then you want others to generously forgive you? Even keyboard warriors are subject to legal sanctions now, let alone you mocking, ridiculing, and insulting me to my face.”
Lin Xingwan was not one to readily forgive them. This group needed to be taught a lesson, a warning to others!
Zhou Jinbai said, “Either apologize, or… leave a finger and get out.”
“I refuse to apologize. What can you do to me? Do you want to deal with me the same way you dealt with Huang Hailong? Ridiculous, I didn’t do anything.” Someone couldn’t stand it and sneered.
The next second, two bodyguards pinned the man down, picked up the knife Huang Hailong had used, and forcefully sliced down.
“Ah… my hand, my hand hurts so much…” the man screamed, his index finger severed.
The guests quickly hid their hands, feeling the night wind was exceptionally cold.
“I apologize, Miss Lin. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have mocked and ridiculed you. This is a protective jade bracelet I got from Nanshan, blessed by one hundred and eight enlightened monks chanting scriptures for eighty-one days. I will give you this rare bracelet, hoping you can forgive me.”
Lin Xingwan nodded. The man looked as if he had received a great pardon.
Then came the second person, the third person…
They queued up voluntarily and sincerely apologized to Lin Xingwan.
Meanwhile, Zhou Jinbai stood with Master Qin Liu, Boss Yang, and Chen Yuchu.
Because they were farther away from the crowd, no one could hear what they were saying.
“Young Master, regarding tonight’s events, I will issue a clarifying statement that will cause no trouble for Miss Lin whatsoever. The handover ceremony for the Dongfang Consortium’s global CEO is approaching. Do you think any improvements are needed?”
Zhou Jinbai glanced at Chen Yuchu and smiled, “I have full confidence in Secretary Chen’s work.”
Master Qin Liu and Boss Yang looked fawning. Zhou Jinbai raised an eyebrow, “The Dongfang Consortium is planning to invest in a new shopping mall. You two will be responsible for managing it.”
Upon hearing this, Master Qin Liu and Boss Yang were so excited they almost danced.
Whether they managed the mall or not wasn’t important. What was important was that they could finally… establish a connection with the Dongfang Consortium.
They were… on the path to success.
Chen Yuchu then discussed the company’s recent situation with Zhou Jinbai.
Because he was focused on company matters, Zhou Jinbai didn’t notice Lin Xingwan’s gaze.
When Lin Xingwan saw Chen Yuchu and Zhou Jinbai chatting and laughing, her mood suddenly turned dejected.
“This matter is concluded. Let the banquet continue,” Lin Xingwan said, then turned to Liu Mengqin and others, “Sister Qin, let’s go sit over there.”
Liu Mengqin and the others then followed Lin Xingwan towards the seating area.
Zhong Jingjing and the others could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Although they had lost all face just now, it didn’t matter. Their moment of glory was about to begin.
With Lin Shirou’s support, Zhong Jingjing walked towards the specially constructed stage.
Standing under the spotlight, she excitedly looked around and smiled, “Distinguished guests, please be quiet.”
The guests, who were still discussing the recent events, gradually quieted down.
Lin Xingwan glanced at Zhou Jinbai, who was still chatting with Chen Yuchu not far away, her expression darkening.
What could they possibly be talking about that made two people who had just met so engrossed?
Or perhaps, they weren’t meeting for the first time?
Too many questions flooded Lin Xingwan’s mind, tormenting her.
She had never imagined that seeing Zhou Jinbai laughing and talking with another woman would be more painful than seeing Gu Shaoting cheat on her with Lin Shirou.
“First, on behalf of the Lin family, I warmly welcome all the successful individuals and social elites. Second, I am very grateful that on such a night, Ms. Chen Yuchu, the executive secretary of the Dongfang Consortium, has graced us with her presence.”
Chen Yuchu and Zhou Jinbai finally realized that the banquet was continuing.
Zhou Jinbai wanted to go to Lin Xingwan’s side but found that her seat was surrounded by guests.
There was no way, so he had to sit in the back row with Chen Yuchu.
Chen Yuchu stood and nodded to everyone. Even in her work attire, under the spotlight, her figure was alluring, shining like an ice mountain beauty. All the men in the room cast admiring glances at Chen Yuchu.
A woman with such ability, charm, education, looks, and background was the dream girl of every man.
“On this important night, I have an announcement to make to everyone,” Zhong Jingjing said excitedly, pausing at the opportune moment to build suspense.
It seemed as if the unpleasantness that had just occurred was being replaced by the scene before them.