C2 Ruyu Corporation

"Zhao Feng, I need you to check if anyone's been targeting my wife's company lately." The sound of cascading water filled the bathroom as Lin Yuan sat on a small stool on the balcony, washing his wife's silk stockings and making a phone call.

"Your wife?" There was a brief pause on the other end before recognition set in. "You mean the Ruyu Corporation, your sister-in-law's company?"

"Boss, just give me a sec, I'm on it!" Zhao Feng's voice betrayed a hint of disbelief. Who would dare cross his boss's wife, a woman not to be trifled with?

Within a minute, Zhao Feng was back on the line. "Boss, I've got the scoop. This morning, Ruyu Corporation had their eye on a plot of land in the western part of Xia City. They were ready to bid, but Zhang's Group swooped in and snatched it up. Afterwards, Zhang Demin, the head of Zhang's Corporation, had the gall to say that if your wife spent the night with him, he might just reconsider and hand over the land to Ruyu Corporation!"

"Son of a... Boss, this Zhang Demin has the nerve to covet your wife, the audacity of the man! Just give me the word, and I'll make sure his whole family regrets it!" Zhao Feng could barely contain his fury as he relayed the information.

"There's no need for that," Lin Yuan replied icily, his voice tinged with rage. "Your guys are too heavy-handed; it could lead back to me too easily."

Lin Yuan was right. Zhao Feng's influence stemmed from the War God Shrine, and if they made a move in Xia City, it would certainly blow Lin Yuan's cover. He didn't need that kind of trouble.

"We'll handle it this way: I'll take care of this personally. Zhang Demin thinks he can lust after my wife? He's got another thing coming." With that, Lin Yuan ended the call and turned his gaze back inside.

Bai Shuang had just stepped out of the bathroom, her pajamas clinging to her as she dried her hair in front of the mirror. Her silhouette was softly illuminated, enchanting Lin Yuan. It was just too bad someone had the audacity to target her. The night deepened into the early hours of the morning.

Lin Chen crept out of his room, casting a glance at the firmly closed door of Bai Shuang. A chill flashed in his eyes as he left the villa behind him.

Instead of driving, he broke into a wild sprint, his speed through the night outpacing some of the cars on the road.

Lin Yuan stared at the softly glowing screen in the darkness, which displayed a location just a few kilometers from him, in another upscale villa neighborhood.

In the dead of night, as Zhang Demin pulled into the underground parking, he was startled to see someone standing before his car. His heart leapt, thinking he had encountered a ghost.

Lin Yuan approached Zhang Demin's car and rapped on the window with an icy tone. "Zhang Demin? Get out of the car."

"Huh?" Zhang Demin was momentarily taken aback, then quickly recognized the young man in his twenties and anger flared in his eyes. He yanked the car door open.

"Kid, what's your deal? Trying to scare me to death in the middle of the night?" Zhang Demin was determined to give Lin Yuan a harsh lesson.

"I'm not here to scare you," Lin Yuan said with a sneer, then abruptly seized Zhang Demin by the collar and slammed him against the Mercedes-Benz's hood. His scalp split open, blood tracing a deep line.

Dazed, Zhang Demin touched his head, trying to make sense of the situation. It took him a moment to regain his bearings and he stared at Lin Yuan incredulously. "How dare you treat me this way?! Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Zhang Demin? The head of Zhang's Group?" Lin Yuan gave him a cursory glance.

"Damn you! Knowing who I am and you still dare to do this? Are you asking for death?" Blood dripped down, reddening Zhang Demin's face with anger.

"You think I'm looking for death?" Lin Yuan laughed lightly, and with Zhang Demin watching in horror, he punched the Mercedes-Benz's hood, leaving a clear, bowl-sized dent.

"You!" Zhang Demin was too shocked to speak, panic rising as he swallowed hard. If that punch had hit him, he would have been left with more than just a bruise.

"One more word, and your head will meet the same fate," Lin Chen warned, pulling back his fist and speaking with a detached coldness.

Zhang Demin's face contorted with shock, his voice quivering, "May I ask who you are? Have I done something to offend you?"

"Of course, you haven't offended me," Lin Chen said, his smile taking on an eerie quality. "But you shouldn't have crossed Bai Shuang."

"Bai Shuang? The woman from Ruyu Corporation?" Zhang Demin paused, then scoffed, "Ah, so you're Bai Shuang's lackey!"

"Listen up, beat it before I lose my temper, and tell Bai Shuang to keep me company for a night! No, make that three nights!"

"I've reconsidered. If that woman has the nerve to send someone after me, I'll make sure she pays an unforgettable price in my bed!" With the realization that Bai Shuang was involved, Zhang Demin's demeanor grew more defiant.

He wasn't intimidated by Bai Shuang. In his eyes, Ruyu Corporation was no match for Zhang's Corporation; they were simply out of their league!

"Seems you're not grasping the gravity of the situation," Lin Yuan said, his face clouding over as he delivered a swift kick to Zhang Demin's abdomen.

Zhang Demin was sent flying backward, crashing into a chair and tumbling over, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"You dare strike me!" Zhang Demin rose from the floor, fear flickering in his eyes. "Just so you know, brute force doesn't rule society anymore. If I live through today, tomorrow Ruyu Corporation will be history."

"And that's not all. With one phone call, I can ensure you never see daylight again. Believe it or not!"

"You seem awfully sure of yourself," Lin Yuan remarked, his eyes narrowing into a cold glare.

"Go ahead and try," Zhang Demin taunted, smirking as if he had already bested Lin Yuan.

"Fine," Lin Yuan replied, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I'll give you two minutes. If Zhang's Corporation is still standing after that, I'll concede defeat."

Lin Yuan's gaze dropped. He had no desire to call upon the might of the War God Shrine, but Zhang Demin was not heeding his warnings. Reluctantly, he knew he must tap into that formidable power.

"Ha!" Zhang Demin let out a scornful laugh. "You think you can take down Zhang's Corporation in two minutes?"

"If you can obliterate even a tiny fraction of Zhang's Group within two minutes, I'll accept defeat!" Zhang Demin declared, his laughter brimming with arrogance.

Lin Yuan's eyebrow quirked in disbelief. He couldn't fathom how such a fool, on the brink of disaster, had managed to secure the presidency of Zhang's Corporation. Shaking his head, he stared at the sent text on his phone screen and began a silent count.

One, two, three...

"You're just putting on a show!" Zhang Demin scoffed. The thought of the insignificant Ruyu Corporation challenging the mighty Zhang's Corporation was utterly ludicrous—it was like trying to shatter a boulder with an egg!

"Hehe," Lin Yuan chuckled, watching him with amusement.

In the blink of an eye, a minute and a half had passed, and Zhang Demin was growing restless.

"Kid, what's the verdict? I've given you a minute and a half, and I haven't heard a peep."

"Here's a way out for you. Kneel, kowtow, and apologize. Then, bring Bai Shuang to my bed like a good boy. Do that, and I might just let your Ruyu Corporation off the hook!" Zhang Demin had barely finished his ultimatum when the two-minute mark hit.

The phone on the desk rang out, its eerie chime slicing through the midnight silence and sending a jolt through Zhang Demin.

"Boss Zhang, you might want to take that," Lin Yuan's icy voice suggested.

Swallowing hard, Zhang Demin's foreboding grew.

"Hello! Boss Zhang! Our stocks are under attack! We've hemorrhaged tens of millions in an instant! And the losses are climbing! We're on track to hit a hundred million in no time!"

Hearing this, Zhang Demin's face drained of color, a cold sweat breaking out across his back.

Another call came through.

"Boss Zhang, our assets are frozen! The company's liquid funds are down to a mere hundred thousand! We can't even cover tomorrow's payroll."

"Boss Zhang, our Mingxin Building has been sold for just thirty thousand yuan!"

"What?" Zhang Demin nearly choked on his rage. "Mingxin Building is worth no less than thirty million yuan. How could it sell for only thirty thousand?"

"I don't know!" The voice on the line was panicked, on the verge of breaking down. As the manager of Mingxin Real Estate, he was clueless about how the sale had even happened.

"Zhang Demin, consider our contract terminated!" Another call came in, this time from one of Zhang Demin's key business partners.

"Zhang Demin, you've stirred up a hornet's nest! Consider our partnership over."

"Zhang..."

The words thundered in Zhang Demin's ears, striking his chest like a massive boulder. It took him a moment to regain his composure before he turned to Lin Yuan, eyes red with emotion, and cried out in shock, "It's you! It's you! What have you done?!"

"Boss Zhang, didn't you accuse me of just putting on a show? I've already taken action. Now, what can you possibly do about it?" Lin Yuan's smile was chilling, devilish even.

"You!" It dawned on Zhang Demin that the man before him was certainly not an ally of Ruyu Corporation. This man possessed incredible power!

"Brother, I was wrong. Please, I beg you, stop your attacks on Zhang's Corporation! I won't go against Ruyu Corporation again, and I'll never dare to cross Bai Shuang!" Zhang Demin knelt, his voice breaking with desperation.

"And what should you be doing?" Lin Yuan's voice was soft as he towered over him.

"I'll go to Ruyu Corporation myself tomorrow to offer Bai Shuang a formal apology!" Zhang Demin was filled with regret. Had he known Bai Shuang was acquainted with someone so formidable, he would never have dared to target her.

"Good. Remember your promise." Lin Yuan stood tall, typed a message on his phone, and then fixed his gaze back on Zhang Demin.

"I'll spare Zhang's Corporation for now. But remember, if Bai Shuang is ever unhappy again, I'll target Zhang's Group first. Destroying Zhang's Corporation wouldn't be a hassle for me."

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Zhang Demin nodded frantically, overwhelmed by fear. He couldn't fathom the level of power this man wielded. To annihilate Zhang's Group in mere minutes, a feat not even Xia City's wealthiest could achieve, spoke volumes of his terrifying identity. And to think he had inadvertently provoked such a figure!

"Very well." Lin Yuan was satisfied with the resolution. He patted Zhang Demin on the head before departing. Upon returning home, he found Bai Shuang still deep in slumber, her delicate brows furrowed, perhaps troubled by the ordeal with Zhang's Corporation.

A tender look passed through Lin Yuan's eyes. He tucked the blanket snugly around Bai Shuang and quietly left the room. His gaze then shifted to the pitch-black night, profound and impenetrable.