Jiang Tianquan gritted his teeth and warned, "This late-night ball is hosted by my Jiang Family! Chen Xiao, are you sure you want to cause trouble here? My Jiang family might not be much, but this ship, the Alice, is the property of the Watanabe Clan! By causing trouble here, you’re slapping Young Master Watanabe in the face, and he will not let you off! You’d better consider carefully whether you can afford to offend him!"
"Are you a dog for the people of Yang Country?" Chen Xiao sneered. "This ’Young Master Watanabe’ you keep ntioning is nothing but a sissy. In the Land of Shenzhou, I don’t care if you’re a dragon or a worm—you will grovel before !"
Watanabe Ichiba’s eyes were practically murderous. A hint of cunning glittered in Jiang Tianquan’s eyes, a sign that his sche had succeeded. His entire purpose in speaking was to escalate the conflict between Chen Xiao and Watanabe Ichiba, and now, he had achieved his goal. Although Chen Xiao was no pushover, Jiang Tianquan knew that the ard forces Watanabe Ichiba had brought this ti were outrageously powerful—more than capable of ensuring Chen Xiao would be in way over his head. He wanted to kill his enemy with a borrowed knife.
"What’s going on? Why all the commotion?"
As a clear, cold female voice rang out, Zhu Baixi walked up from the lower deck. Her appearance imdiately drew the gaze of everyone in the second-floor casino. Luo Qingli and the other won looked on curiously. They had noticed this seemingly distinguished lady in the first-floor ballroom but had no idea who she was.
Upon seeing Zhu Baixi, Jiang Tianquan’s expression soured. Why has this woman suddenly co to ddle?
Zhu Baixi glanced at the scene. "Young Master Watanabe," she said, "we’re all here to enjoy ourselves at the casino today. There’s no need for conflict, is there? As long as the money owed is paid, there’s no need to dwell on other matters and invite unnecessary trouble."
Hearing this, Watanabe Ichiba managed to calm down. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Mada Jiang is right. I was rash." They still had a mission to consider, and acting impulsively would only introduce too many uncertainties.
Zhu Baixi then swept a cold glance toward Chen Xiao and his group, her expression that of soone who didn’t recognize him at all. "How do you want to resolve this?"
Chen Xiao played along, his tone just as cold. "My mother-in-law was slapped. I must seek justice for her."
"Sir, can you do a favor?" Zhu Baixi asked, flicking her hair. "I am the Lady of the Jiang Family, Zhu Baixi. This is hardly the occasion to be drawing weapons."
"I can’t grant you that favor," Chen Xiao responded without a shred of rcy, his tone resolute. He knew this woman was just putting on a show. By making this offer, she was giving him a cue to play along with her public performance—pretending they were unacquainted and even at odds.
As expected, Zhu Baixi’s pretty face visibly darkened. "Having such a temper will prove very dangerous for you here," she warned coldly.
Tired of wasting words, Chen Xiao spoke forcefully. "I’ll ask one question: do I get justice for my mother-in-law myself, or will the Jiang Family handle it? If I do it myself, your family can forget about getting a single penny of that fifty million. But if the Jiang Family is willing to be humbled, I can give you the fifty million."
"Chen Xiao! Are you insane? Giving away fifty million just like that?" Li Sufang scolded. "Are you paying it for ?"
Chen Xiao rcilessly struck a nerve. "You’re the one who made this ss. How about you solve it yourself? We can see whether the Jiang Family kills you or just finds other ways for you to repay the debt."
That single sentence was enough to make Li Sufang choke on her words, not daring to speak again.
"Mom, let Chen Xiao handle it," Luo Qingli added. She understood Chen Xiao; he was not one to accept a loss.
Zhu Baixi turned to Jiang Tianquan and leaned in to whisper, "I’ll leave this for you to handle. I won’t interfere. Although Qian Li and her son are your people, you’d better endure this if you don’t want to make a scene.
"Don’t let a mont of rashness ruin the bigger picture. If you can’t even swallow this bit of anger, what great things can you ever hope to accomplish?"
Her words were heavy with both insinuation and pressure. Jiang Tianquan himself knew that this was no ti for complications.
But to punish my own subordinate in public? That’s a direct slap to my own face! What would everyone here think of ? How could I ever hold my head up in these circles again? It’s obvious to any discerning eye that I was the one who had instructed Qian Li and her son to fra Li Sufang. To turn on them now, after using them, wouldn’t be slapping their faces, but my own—the face of Young Master Jiang!
Seeing his hesitation, Zhu Baixi reminded him coolly, "Don’t forget what your father said!
"If sothing goes wrong, you can’t bear the consequences. I understand you want to use soone else to do your dirty work, but have you considered the outco? Don’t drag the entire Jiang Family down to the grave with you!"
Jiang Tianquan’s expression flickered. He realized that if their clandestine dealings with the people from Yang Country were exposed, it would undoubtedly bring about a catastrophe. He had been too impulsive, nearly causing unforeseen problems.
After taking a deep breath, he decisively chose to abandon Qian Li and her son.
"Co here!"
Qian Li and her son trembled. "Young Master Jiang, you..."
"Although you have a good relationship with our Jiang Family, you can’t just hit people here," Jiang Tianquan said coldly. "Don’t make this difficult for ."
Sensing the chill in his eyes, Qian Li and her son walked forward obediently, a shiver running through them.
SLAP! SLAP!
Two sharp slaps resounded, leaving their cheeks red and swollen. They were a total ss.
Jiang Tianquan stared at Chen Xiao, his gaze vicious. "Is this punishnt sufficient?"
"Not enough. They also have to kneel," Chen Xiao said, shaking his head. "Otherwise, no money."
Jiang Tianquan’s eyelids twitched violently. "Don’t push it!"
Veins bulged on his forehead as his entire body trembled with rage. Even Watanabe Ichiba felt this was going too far; the man was being too much of a bully.
Chen Xiao shrugged. "The decision is yours. After all, fifty million is no small sum."
Jiang Tianquan threatened with a savage look, "You think you can just refuse to pay? If you’re short by even a single penny of that fifty million today, I’ll chop you all to pieces!" He had dropped the facade completely.
"Fine by ," Chen Xiao said with an indifferent smile, turning to Luo Qingli. "Go ahead and call the police. Let the Patrol Detachnt co uphold justice for Young Master Jiang. Tell them we owe him a fifty-million-dollar gambling debt and to co collect it for him."
Jiang Tianquan nearly spat blood from rage. This guy... has no sense of honor whatsoever!
Chen Xiao’s smile was playful. "My mother-in-law’s gambling might get her detained for a few days at most. But you all running a casino here... I think the City Lord of Yuncheng City would greatly appreciate this contribution to his record."
"We’re foreign guests!" Watanabe Ichiba shouted arrogantly. "So what if we set up a casino here? You people of the Divine Land can’t control us!"
"We’ll see about that," Chen Xiao replied calmly. He knew perfectly well that Watanabe’s group was not afraid of being caught running a casino; they were afraid of their clandestine dealings being discovered. That was why they would never allow the Patrol Detachnt or the City Lord’s Mansion to get involved, much less set foot on the Alice. And because Chen Xiao had them pegged, he continued to press his advantage.
Everyone looked on in disbelief. They could not imagine that this man could back Young Master Jiang and Watanabe Ichiba into such a corner.
In the end, Jiang Tianquan, unable to contain his rage any longer, unleashed it all on Qian Li and her son. He kicked them forcefully, sending them stumbling to their knees before Li Sufang.
Qian Li and her son’s faces were ashen. With this public kneeling, they would never be able to hold their heads up in their social circle again.
"You sched against ! You sched against ! Go to hell!" At the peak of her fury, Li Sufang went mad, kicking them several tis until their mouths and noses were bloodied, violently venting her anger.
Jiang Tianquan fixed Chen Xiao with a murderous glare, his voice hoarse and sinister. "Now, Chen Xiao, I’d like to see what excuse you have left for not paying up."
User Comments
0 comments from readers