Yu Yan put on his mask, pulled the brim of his cap low, and opened the door. After glancing both ways and confirming that the hallway was empty, he immediately headed in the direction President Li and Chairman Chen had gone.
Over the years, Yu Yan had convinced himself that he had learned to control his temper. He had also learned how to hide his true nature.
It had been a long time since he had personally dealt with anyone.
When handling someone like Zhou Gui, all he needed to do was send He Ya with a team of bodyguards while he sat in the car and waited for the results.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, there was no reason for him to dirty his own hands, much less put himself at risk.
He was both a celebrity and the man in control of the Yu Group. In City A, he had countless ways to make someone disappear without a sound. There was no need for him to show his face in person.
But tonight was different.
The fire inside his chest burned fiercer with every passing moment, scorching him from the inside out until his entire body felt feverishly hot. Even the last shred of reason in his mind was on the verge of being reduced to ashes.
The scene he had witnessed through the crack in the door kept replaying in his head.
Chairman Chen turning the room key card over in his hand as though weighing it.
The old man’s hand resting casually on President Li’s shoulder.
And those careless words:
“He’s clean. I already checked.”
Gu Xichao really was an idiot.
All those years of his life had been wasted.
He was almost thirty, yet he had still allowed someone to get him that drunk. He had not even known enough to stay on guard at the dinner table.
Was he really that desperate for money?
So desperate that he would place himself on the table and let others decide what to do with him?
Was this what his life in Malaysia had become over the past two years?
And Shen Jizhou was useless too. Every day, he dressed impeccably and strutted around beside Gu Xichao as though he were some respectable gentleman, yet he did not possess even the slightest bit of common sense.
How could someone that useless possibly deserve to stand beside Gu Xichao?
At that moment, Yu Yan genuinely wanted to kill someone.
The more he thought about it, the faster he walked.
At the final turn in the hallway, President Li was standing there, staring at his phone and pacing impatiently back and forth. His back was turned to Yu Yan, and he was probably waiting for his men to bring Gu Xichao into the room.
Yu Yan did not hesitate.
He strode forward, grabbed President Li by the back of his collar, and yanked hard enough to spin him around. Then he drove his fist straight into the man’s face.
President Li was sent crashing into the wall, his phone flying from his hand.
It took him two full seconds to focus on the figure standing before him—a man dressed entirely in black, wearing a baseball cap and mask, with only his eyes visible.
President Li opened his mouth to call for help, but Yu Yan struck him again, this time in the stomach, turning his cry into a violent retch.
“Which room?”
Yu Yan’s low voice came from behind the mask, cold enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.
Clutching his stomach, President Li fell to his knees and looked up at him. His lips trembled so badly that he could not form a single word. All he could do was raise a shaking hand and point toward the door beside them.
Yu Yan glanced at the room number, then kicked the door open. Grabbing President Li by the collar, he dragged the man inside.
The suite was dimly lit. Two glasses and a freshly opened bottle of red wine sat on the coffee table. Beside them lay a silver tray and a box of condoms.
Yu Yan swept his gaze across the room, threw President Li onto the floor, and locked the door behind them.
Footsteps sounded from the bedroom, accompanied by Chairman Chen’s voice as he spoke on the phone. The sounds drew closer with every second.
Believing that his guest had finally arrived, the old man hurriedly ended the call and stepped out to welcome the beautiful fantasy awaiting him that night.
“Is my darling here?”
Yu Yan did not wait for him to emerge fully.
He charged straight into the bedroom. The instant he saw Chairman Chen’s repulsive face, he swung his fist and struck the man squarely across the bridge of his nose.
That single punch carried all the rage Yu Yan had accumulated on his way there.
Chairman Chen was knocked backward and slammed into the hallway wall. Blood immediately streamed from his nose, staining half his face red.
Chairman Chen was taller and more heavily built than President Li. He staggered but managed to remain standing, then raised a hand to wipe his face.
When he saw the blood on his palm, he opened his mouth to call for help.
Yu Yan gave him no chance.
He stepped forward, seized Chairman Chen’s tie, and yanked him down while driving a knee into his stomach. As the man doubled over in pain, Yu Yan followed with another punch to the side of his face.
Chairman Chen groaned and collapsed to the floor.
His hand reached toward his pocket, apparently searching for his phone, but Yu Yan immediately stamped down on it. Then he brought his foot down again, crushing the phone beneath his heel.
Now Chairman Chen could scream to the heavens or beg the earth, but no one would come to save him.
Lying on his back on the carpet, he clutched his bleeding nose and glared at Yu Yan before stammering:
“Y-You… Do you have any idea who I am?!”
Yu Yan crouched in front of him.
His cap was pulled low, and the eyes visible above his mask were cold and utterly devoid of emotion.
He reached into the inner pocket of Chairman Chen’s suit jacket, pulled out the room key card, and turned it over to check the number.
Then Yu Yan let out a cold laugh, snapped the key card in half, and casually tossed the pieces onto the man’s chest.
“You’re not worth knowing.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yu Yan drove another punch into Chairman Chen’s stomach.
The blow was so painful that the man immediately curled in on himself. Had Yu Yan used even slightly more force, he might have ruptured the organs inside his body.
Yu Yan then kicked him directly between the legs.
Chairman Chen let out a bloodcurdling scream and clutched himself, desperately trying to crawl away.
But Yu Yan had no intention of letting him escape.
He pinned the man down and continued beating him.
Yu Yan had completely lost control. One punch after another rained down on Chairman Chen, and for one brief, intoxicating moment, he became so consumed by the violence that his mind ceased to function altogether.
The people outside kept gasping and wincing at the beating Chairman Chen was taking, but Yu Yan showed no intention of stopping.
Instead, the more he struck, the more vicious he became. A strange light even began to gleam in his eyes.
President Li, who had regained some of his strength near the door, hurried over and desperately tried to pull Yu Yan away.
“Stop! Stop hitting him! You’ll kill him if you keep going! Didn’t we just target the wrong person? I shouldn’t have drugged Nolan! Whatever amount of money you want, we’ll pay it!”
Only when Yu Yan heard Nolan’s name did he finally manage to recover the faintest trace of reason.
Yu Yan stopped his fist in midair and stared in shock at Chairman Chen, who lay beneath him.
The man had been beaten so badly that he was barely recognizable, with only the faintest trace of breath left in his body.
Yu Yan slowly regained his composure.
He rose to his feet and casually wiped the fresh blood from his knuckles onto President Li’s suit jacket before saying coldly:
“If you don’t want the Shen Group’s dirty dealings exposed, you’d better keep your mouths shut about what happened tonight.”
The moment he heard that, President Li realized that the man before him was no ordinary person. He no longer dared to bargain.
“I understand! I understand! Please show us mercy and let us go! We’ll never dare do anything like this again!”
“Hmph.”
Yu Yan suddenly remembered the trust fund Shen Jizhou and Gu Xichao had been negotiating with Li Yuanhang.
Just how much money was involved that Gu Xichao had been willing to risk his life for it, even casting aside his dignity?
“One more question. What exactly is going on with the trust fund Shen Jizhou has been negotiating with you?”
“Well…”
“Are you going to talk or not?”
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you! The trust fund is worth two billion in total. They’re preparing to transfer it overseas and invest it in a technology project…”
Two billion.
Yu Yan lowered his eyes, his mind working rapidly.
As expected of Gu Xichao.
Even after spending two years abroad, he was still living well. He was still just as capable, just as strong, and had never once surrendered easily.
“No matter what happens, you are not to approve that money for Shen Jizhou. Someone from Yance will come to negotiate with you tomorrow. Do you understand?”
A chill ran down President Li’s spine.
His mind was filled with questions. Hadn’t this man been sent by Shen Jizhou to defend Nolan? Why was he suddenly turning against Shen Jizhou now?
But President Li had already lived through more than half his life, and all he wanted was to retire in peace. He did not dare ask another question.
All he could do was nod repeatedly.
“I understand, I understand. Don’t worry. You have my word!”
Yu Yan straightened up and checked his clothes carefully for any traces of blood before opening the door and stepping outside.
He turned back and cast one final glance at the two men lying on the floor.
Without saying another word, Yu Yan pulled the brim of his cap lower and walked away.
Gu Xichao was still waiting for him.
He needed to return to the man’s side immediately.
With every step, Yu Yan moved faster, until he was practically running down the hallway.
Above him, a security camera silently recorded everything that had happened.
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