It was none other than Jiang Yan, the same person who had been repeatedly embarrassed by Song Qiao a couple of days prior.
"It's you?"
Jiang Yan looked at Song Qiao, following the sound of his voice, and couldn't help but exclaim.
"That's right, it's him, Young Master Jiang. I came here to collect the land, and not only did this guy refuse, he even resorted to violence," Chen Haibo chimed in, shamelessly playing the victim.
Hearing this, Jiang Yan's brow furrowed. The last time, Song Qiao's unexpected intervention had caused him to lose face in front of Wang Meng. The woman he was close to winning over was now acting distant and uninterested. This, for the always vengeful Jiang Yan, made the name Song Qiao something he gnashed his teeth over, wishing he could beat Song Qiao even in his dreams.
However, he had been thoroughly defeated multiple times that day and had witnessed Song Qiao's true strength. Song Qiao wasn't just good friends with the boss of Lan Hai Industries; he also had a close relationship with Gao Yuan, the head of the Gao family. Such status and influence were far beyond anything Jiang Yan could afford to provoke.
"Song Qiao, what is the meaning of this? Why would you just lay hands on my brother?" Jiang Yan's tone softened unconsciously, much to Chen Haibo's surprise.
"Young Master Jiang, you are..."
"Shut up. If you want to live, stand aside and don't say another word." Jiang Yan, already agitated, couldn't help but snap at Chen Haibo. Chen Haibo, bewildered by the reprimand, obediently stood in place, not daring to utter another word.
Jiang Yan took a deep breath, looked up at Song Qiao, and said, "Mr. Song, you owe me an explanation today."
"An explanation?" Song Qiao let out a disdainful laugh. "Your friend, leading a group of people, came here to cause trouble without any regard for right or wrong. Now look at this mess." He gestured to the broken vases and overturned coffee table. "I merely taught him a small lesson. Why should I owe you an explanation?"
"Mr. Song, I don't care who's right or wrong right now!" Jiang Yan's expression changed as Song Qiao spoke. "I've brought thirty to forty men with me today. Chen Haibo is my good friend. You'd best not be ungrateful." He had initially expected Song Qiao to show him some respect. To his surprise, Song Qiao was being so uncompromising. While he didn't want to antagonize Song Qiao, his pride wouldn't let him back down now. Chen Haibo was his good friend and had helped him significantly in the past. If he didn't help him today, he'd be branded as ungrateful.
"Song Qiao, get on your knees and apologize, then hand over the land obediently. Otherwise, I don't believe you can fight dozens of people alone." With support behind him, Chen Haibo regained his courage, barking like a lapdog.
"Who says I'm alone?" Song Qiao chuckled dismissively and clapped his hands. Suddenly, a group of fully armed security guards, each carrying batons and riot shields, rushed in from outside. There were nearly a hundred of them.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and finally relaxed. While waiting, Zhou Zhou had already reported the situation to Ye Zhiwei. Upon hearing the news, Ye Zhiwei slammed her desk.
"Hefeng Real Estate's audacity is too much. They dare to come after my Lan Hai." Concerned for Song Qiao's safety, she immediately dispatched all the security personnel from the group's headquarters.
"Mr. Song, we are here on Ms. Ye's orders to ensure your safety. My name is Feng Yu, the captain of this security team. You can call me Xiao Feng," the leading security captain said, jogging up to Song Qiao.
"Good. Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Surround these people and don't let any of them escape," Song Qiao nodded slightly and instructed Feng Yu.
"Yes." Feng Yu, clearly professionally trained, responded crisply and waved his right hand. The nearly one hundred security guards understood his signal immediately and spread out, encircling the dozens of thugs in the hall. Some quick-thinking guards even closed the main door and blocked the stairwell. In an instant, Jiang Yan's numerical advantage had completely vanished.
"So, Chen Haibo, am I still alone now?" Song Qiao mocked, looking at the pale-faced Chen Haibo. Chen Haibo, now terrified, didn't dare to reply. Faced with such an imposing scene, he nearly wet himself.
"Mr., Mr. Song, what is this?" Jiang Yan swallowed hard, looking at the formidable display before him. The other side had twice the number of men as his thugs, and they were well-trained and well-equipped. If a fight broke out, his men would likely be wiped out in ten minutes.
"What am I doing? Of course, I'm having them protect the company. You brought so many people here, weren't you trying to cause trouble?" Song Qiao stated calmly.
"No, no, Mr. Song, you've misunderstood. I am a law-abiding citizen. Why would I come here to cause trouble?" Jiang Yan's demeanor shifted instantly, showing his shrewdness.
"Then why aren't you leaving? You're disturbing our company's normal operations in broad daylight."
"Alright, alright, I'm leaving. But I need to take Chen Haibo with me," Jiang Yan agreed, while stating his condition.
"Are you out of your mind? Chen Haibo came here to smash and cause chaos. Do you think I'll let him leave so easily?" Song Qiao said coldly to Jiang Yan.
"Huh?" Hearing this, Jiang Yan was stunned, freezing in place, unable to react. If he couldn't take Chen Haibo with him today, their relationship would likely end there. Moreover, Chen Haibo left alone in Song Qiao's hands would likely suffer greatly, if not worse. After a long moment of hesitation, he stamped his foot and, steeling himself, said to Song Qiao, "Mr. Song, for the sake of my face today, let's let this matter go. I guarantee that you and they will stay out of each other's way, and they will never come here to cause trouble again." He felt a flush of embarrassment, believing he had made the greatest possible concession.
However, Song Qiao seemed not to hear him, merely giving him a dismissive glance and saying with a chilling tone, "Let it go? Who do you think you are? What right do you have to tell me to let it go?"