Chapter 281: Overturn

Lin Ruoxi did not panic or dodge, and Xu Zhihong didn't seem to have the immediate intention of pulling the trigger. Yang Chen's nerves tensed for a moment but he didn't rush to disarm Xu Zhihong. The situation was quite delicate.

Facing the dark barrel of the gun, Lin Ruoxi appeared utterly indifferent, her gaze complex and inscrutable, as though something about Xu Zhihong's mad rant had stirred something within her.

"Do you realize now that you were wrong? But it's too late; the Xu family is gone. My father and mother both took their own lives because of you. Do you know what it was like for me overseas? Sure, I had food, clothing, and a place to stay, but do you know how I felt inside? It was like a knife scraping my heart, with blood constantly flowing," Xu Zhihong's eyes were filled with hatred as he hissed, "Do you think I'm the only one who hates you? Think carefully. For Yulei International to get to where it is today, how many competitors have you crushed? How many families have you ruined with your own hands? Do you think they would feel any better? Today, I will make you pay your debt."

"You want to kill me," Lin Ruoxi said, more as a statement than a question, almost as if speaking to herself.

"Killing you would be letting you off too easily," Xu Zhihong laughed maniacally. "Maybe before killing you, we should have some fun. After all, I've been chasing after you for so many years."

Lin Ruoxi said nothing, as if she couldn't care less about any of this. She looked at Xu Zhihong without flinching, her gaze unwavering.

Seeing that look in her eyes, Xu Zhihong grew even more furious and laughed spitefully, "That look again. Do you know what I hate the most? It's that look of indifference. Do you think you're some kind of goddess? What right do you have to look at me like that?"

Zeng Xinlin patted Xu Zhihong on the shoulder and sighed, "Young Master Xu, everything will be over today. You don't need to get so worked up. After I finish my business, you can do whatever you want with this woman."

With that, Zeng Xinlin took a stack of documents from one of his followers and smiled at Lin Ruoxi, "Miss Lin, before Young Master Xu takes you away, I hope you will patiently sign these documents. It will be very beneficial for your company."

"What are these?" Lin Ruoxi asked.

"These are the share transfer documents for Yulei International. Since you are about to leave this world, it would be better to transfer your 90% stake in Yulei International and your billions in assets to me rather than to the state. I will make sure to manage your legacy well," Zeng Xinlin said with a wicked smile.

Lin Ruoxi retorted with a hint of mockery, "It seems you haven't been doing well. You must be desperate to force me into transferring my shares to you, even at the cost of dealing with rumors and backlash. Is it because the failure I handed you caused you to lose the support of your family? Have you reached such a dead end that you had to team up with Xu Zhihong?"

Zeng Xinlin's expression darkened. "You know, just like Young Master Xu, I really dislike women like you, who usually don't say much but always manage to think of a lot. Your words make me lose face."

The disastrous failure of Changlin Media had indeed caused Zeng Xinlin to lose substantial support from the Zeng family in Yandu. Although some elders still trusted him, the majority began to doubt him, and Zeng Xinlin's prestige had plummeted, making it impossible for him to count on the family's favor any longer.

Harboring deep hatred, Zeng Xinlin contacted Xu Zhihong, who was far away overseas. After reaching a mutual agreement to exact revenge on Lin Ruoxi and Yang Chen, Zeng Xinlin leveraged his connections with customs and other agencies to help Xu Zhihong and his men return to the country with a substantial amount of cash.

After transferring a large amount of money to Zeng Xinlin, he used the Zeng family's facade to cover up Xu Zhihong's identity, secretly biding their time for this very day.

"I'm very grateful that you don't like me," Lin Ruoxi said coldly. "If you want me to transfer my shares and assets to you, I have one condition."

Zeng Xinlin frowned, "Speak."

"You can hate me and kill me, but you must not kill Yang Chen. Killing him won't benefit you in any way," Lin Ruoxi said.

Yang Chen suddenly raised his head, looking incredulously at the emotionless Lin Ruoxi. This woman was thinking about saving him in such a critical moment? Did she not hate him for breaking her heart so many times? Did she not care that he had hidden so much from her and deceived her?

"Haha, such deep marital affection," Zeng Xinlin said venomously, casting a malicious glance at Yang Chen before turning to Xu Zhihong. "Young Master Xu, what do you think?"

Xu Zhihong gave a sinister smile. "He's just a man who sells lamb skewers. Do you really think he's some kind of treasure? Hmph, we don't have to kill him, but at the very least, we should make sure he can't be a man for the rest of his life."

A wicked glint appeared in Zeng Xinlin's eyes. "That's actually a good suggestion."

"No way," Lin Ruoxi said angrily. "It was me who ruined your businesses and drove you to desperation, not Yang Chen. If you harm him, I won't sign those papers, even if it means my death."

"You damn bitch, if you won't sign, we can just make you do it even if you're dead!" Xu Zhihong seemed to have finally lost his patience and suddenly pulled the trigger! "Bang!" The gunshot startled everyone in the hall, and Wang Ma, who had been standing behind Lin Ruoxi and was already extremely tense, screamed in fright. However, the bullet did not follow its original trajectory towards Lin Ruoxi's forehead! Instead, Xu Zhihong's gun was violently knocked out of his hand in an instant, causing the bullet to hit the ceiling and leave a spark. Lin Ruoxi had closed her eyes, awaiting death, but to her surprise, the situation changed abruptly. Confused, she opened her eyes again. She saw Xu Zhihong glaring angrily at Yang Chen, who stood nearby. "Yang Chen, do you think just because you knocked the gun out of my hand, you won't die today? I've got twenty merciless mercenaries outside. You can't escape." "You can try," Yang Chen responded calmly. Xu Zhihong snorted coldly and waved his hand. Maoball, who had been lurking behind Xu Zhihong and watching with a smirk, stepped forward. He was still the same disheveled mess, with tangled hair, a dirty overcoat, and a scruffy beard. This man, with his unsavory appearance, tall stature, and filthy demeanor, had been blindly loyal to Xu Zhihong, sticking with him through thick and thin, whether Xu was a privileged young master or a desperate fugitive. "Maoball, haven't you always wanted to have a go at Yang Chen? You can have some fun with him before we send him to his death," Xu Zhihong said with a sneer. Maoball laughed wickedly and said to Yang Chen, "I've seen your skills before, but the young master held me back. The last few days, I've had to live as a fugitive because of you two. It's been tough. Now you're about to die; let's have a little fun." Lin Ruoxi, regaining her composure and realizing that Yang Chen had just saved her, felt a mix of emotions. Seeing Yang Chen preparing to fight Maoball, she hurriedly shouted, "No! He was a former special forces soldier. You can't beat him!" "Hmph, why not? There's no escape, and today, we call the shots," Xu Zhihong scoffed. Yang Chen smiled reassuringly at Lin Ruoxi, sending her a comforting glance.

On this day, it seemed that he could no longer keep certain things hidden from this woman. Regardless of what might happen between the two of them in the future, concealing his past now felt selfish.

Lin Ruoxi couldn't quite understand the calm expression on Yang Chen's face. Her heart started to beat faster, sensing that something unimaginable was about to happen.

Maoball shrugged off his coat, revealing a black shirt underneath that clung to his muscular body. He assumed a martial arts stance and made exaggerated facial expressions at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen glanced at him, "You may be a bit unkempt, but you are loyal to your master. Judging by your stance, you seem to be an expert in Aikido, but you are no match for me. You should give up. I can let you live and you can help clean up after your master later."

Maoball was taken aback, seemingly surprised that Yang Chen had figured him out so quickly, but then he laughed, "You said it yourself, I'm loyal to my boss. He gave me my life, so even if I lose to you today, I have to give it my all."

"Very well," Yang Chen sighed, extending his right hand towards Maoball's neck. He planned to finish this with a single, fatal move to spare Maoball any unnecessary suffering.

Lin Ruoxi and Wang Ma, standing nearby, watched as Yang Chen suddenly seemed like a completely different person—calm, commanding, and assertive. They were frozen in place, staring at Yang Chen with dazed expressions, as if they no longer recognized the man they saw every day.

Meanwhile, Maoball felt an overwhelming pressure from Yang Chen's seemingly slow motion attack, making it difficult for him to breathe. He had indeed been trained by an Aikido master, skilled in using softness to counteract force and leveraging the opponent's strength. But Yang Chen's slow advance made him panic, and he tried to dodge and counterattack.

Yang Chen's hand, however, abruptly accelerated, following Maoball's movements and managing to grab his neck ahead of time!

Maoball tried to knock away Yang Chen's arm with a blocking move using both hands. But to his horror, when his hands struck Yang Chen's arm, it felt like hitting the hardest, coldest composite metal. Despite using all his strength, Yang Chen's arm did not budge at all!

How could this be possible?! Maoball screamed inwardly. He had known Yang Chen for so long and had always regarded him with a playful attitude. At this moment, he realized how terribly wrong he had been! He and Yang Chen had never been on the same level! But in the next moment, he lost the chance to think further.

"Crack!"

Yang Chen did not give Maoball any more time. With a slight twist of his hand, Maoball stopped breathing. This disheveled man, who had been involved with Xu Zhihong since their first meeting, left this world in such a simple and swift manner.

"Maoball?!"

Xu Zhihong's shout of disbelief echoed through the room. His most loyal follower, who had been by his side for so long, had his neck snapped by Yang Chen in an instant!

Zeng Xinlin, a former elite special forces soldier, had a good understanding of Maoball's combat capabilities. He finally realized that the situation was not as manipulable as he had imagined. He abruptly grabbed Xu Zhihong's hand and pulled him out of the room. With a wave of his hand, he signaled. Twenty masked mercenaries armed with submachine guns hidden around the villa emerged from dark corners and bushes, aiming their weapons at the front gate!

Two bodyguards also stood in front of Zeng Xinlin and Xu Zhihong, nervously watching Yang Chen standing by the door.

Inside the house, Lin Ruoxi witnessed Yang Chen swiftly kill a man. Her eyes widened in disbelief, unable to utter a word. Everything before her overturned her perception of Yang Chen, as if she had entered another world.

As for Wang Ma, she had fainted at the moment of death and lay unconscious on the ground.

"Open fire! Open fire! Kill this man immediately!" Zeng Xinlin no longer cared about seizing Lin Ruoxi's assets. Right now, all he wanted was to eliminate this dangerous man.