C18 Challenge Xia Yunsheng!

The Xia Family members, who had been watching the confrontation, were seething with righteous indignation. To them, Xia Yunsheng was a deity among men, his authority unchallenged and unchallenged. Yet today, a mere son-in-law had the audacity not only to address Xia Yunsheng by name but to challenge him directly. The very thought was unbearable for the Xia clan.

Worry etched itself across Xia Mengyao's lovely face as she considered the potential consequences of Chen Feng's bold words. Should they reach Xia Yunsheng's ears, there was no doubt he would be unforgiving. The possibility of Chen Feng being expelled from the Xia Family loomed large.

Chen Feng surveyed the Xia Family members with a frosty gaze. In their eyes, Xia Yunsheng was an untouchable figure, but to Chen Feng, he was nothing more than an obstinate relic, incapable of discerning right from wrong.

Fear him? Chen Feng scoffed at the thought. Xia Yunsheng was far from earning such a distinction.

Despite their flushed faces, brimming with anger, not a single Xia Family member dared to confront him. They even involuntarily retreated at the mere meeting of his icy stare, prompting a laugh from Chen Feng.

He shook his head, his laughter laced with scorn. "What a pathetic lot!"

They were the epitome of cowardice, always quick to intimidate the weak and grovel before the mighty. Chen Feng remembered how he'd once feigned weakness to avoid drawing the Chen Family's scrutiny, enduring the Xia clan's mockery and scorn.

But after three years of patience, he had awakened to his true strength, unafraid to brand them as the trash they were to their faces—none daring to utter a word in response.

Pity filled Chen Feng for such spineless characters. Toying with them had lost its appeal.

"Mengyao, let's head back," he said to Xia Mengyao, a soft smile gracing his lips.

With a look of concern, Xia Mengyao met his eyes and gently nodded.

Only after the pair had departed the company courtyard did the gathered Xia Family members collectively exhale in relief, mopping the sweat from their brows.

Xia Hao's face twisted with venomous resentment. While Xia Mengyao had once been the focus of his hatred, now, without question, his most despised was Chen Feng.

He could handle Xia Mengyao's mockery, but being ridiculed by a nobody like Chen Feng? That was out of the question!

"Chen Feng..." As they walked, Xia Mengyao started to speak, then stopped, clearly puzzled. She couldn't grasp why Chen Feng had suddenly become so assertive, bold enough even to challenge Xia Yunsheng.

"Mengyao, do you trust me?" Chen Feng asked abruptly.

Xia Mengyao paused, taken aback. Just yesterday, Chen Feng had posed the same question to her on WeChat, and she had chosen to trust him.

That trust had paid off with her securing the Mount Yuquan Project.

Now, here he was, asking her once more...

With a smile, Xia Mengyao replied, "Yes, I trust you."

She didn't need a reason; she didn't even want one.

Chen Feng's lips curved into a smile. "I'll make sure Grandfather gives you the Mount Yuquan project back," he declared.

Xia Mengyao's jaw dropped in astonishment. Chen Feng would convince her grandfather to hand over the Mount Yuquan Project to her again? The thought seemed unfathomable, especially knowing her grandfather, who placed his pride above all else.

Once he had decided to award the project to Xia Hao, there was no chance he'd reverse his decision. To do so would be to admit defeat, to face embarrassment.

And if her grandfather did reconsider, it would imply he was yielding to her.

Could her grandfather ever concede to her? Xia Mengyao doubted it. He had always been an imposing figure, regarding the younger generation as just that—junior. The idea of him bowing to her was more unbearable than death itself.

Yet Chen Feng's confidence sowed seeds of doubt in her mind.

Her grandfather was the unchallenged patriarch of the Xia Family. Her husband, on the other hand, was seen as the family's disgrace. Whom should she believe?

What Xia Mengyao didn't realize was that Chen Feng had anticipated the outcome long before he sent her to negotiate the Mount Yuquan Project with Lin Zongwei. He had foreseen that once the deal was done, Xia Yunsheng would surely cast her aside in favor of elevating Xia Hao.

Xia Yunsheng believed in his unassailable authority over the Xia Family, and Xia Mengyao wouldn't dare defy his decisions.

Xia Yunsheng had dismissed him as nothing more than the son-in-law of a worthless nobody.

Yet, he was the true arbiter of the Xia Family's fate.

Golden Age was among the largest entertainment venues in Cangzhou City.

At that moment, within one of the club's opulent private rooms, Xia Hao sat brooding on a sofa, his expression dark as storm clouds.

The door swung open, and in strode a man clad in a floral shirt, a vicious scar marring his left cheek.

Trailing him were two stunning women in high-slit qipaos, their slender legs on full display.

"Master Chen."

Upon the man's entrance, Xia Hao quickly rose, his demeanor oozing deference.

"Hao, what brings you here?" Gu Dongchen settled into the sofa with an air of authority, while a qipao-clad woman promptly offered him a lit cigar.

"Master Chen, you make it sound like I need a reason to seek you out," Xia Hao said with a sycophantic grin. The man before him, Gu Dongchen, was known publicly as the proprietor of Golden Age, but behind the scenes, he ruled over Cangzhou's western district, his hand controlling nearly every KTV and entertainment club in the area.

Gu Dongchen shook his head, puffing on his cigar, and chuckled. "Cut the crap. I can tell what you're up to just by the way you're squirming. So spill it, what mess do you need me to clean up this time?"

"Master Chen, it's really nothing major," Xia Hao hesitated before continuing, "Actually, Master Chen, remember you once mentioned you had a fondness for my cousin..."

"Your cousin? Xia Mengyao!" Gu Dongchen's interest was piqued instantly.

"Yes, her," confirmed Xia Hao with a nod.

"Hasn't she been married for three years now?" Gu Dongchen's brow furrowed. "What's the matter, she crossed you?" he inquired nonchalantly.

"The Xia Family recently partnered with Dingfeng Corporation on a project. Grandfather entrusted me with it, but Xia Mengyao just had to meddle, and we've come to blows over it."

"You're looking to get rid of her?" Gu Dongchen asked, eyebrow arched inquisitively.

Xia Hao quickly shook his head, offering a sheepish grin. "Master Chen, you're pulling my leg. Why on earth would I harm her?"

The thought of murder was something Xia Hao wouldn't even entertain.

"Are you referring to the Mount Yuquan Project?" Gu Dongchen narrowed his eyes inquisitively. He was well aware of the Chen Family and Shen Hongchang's massive fifty-billion investment to develop Mount Yuquan. In fact, it was common knowledge throughout Cangzhou City by now.

"Master Chen, your insight is truly unparalleled," Xia Hao complimented, aiming to impress Gu Dongchen.

"Thirty percent," Gu Dongchen stated coolly, his voice carrying a weight of significance.

Thirty percent? What thirty percent?.